The Fundamental Theorem of Shakespeare
by Canute
Summary: Thanks to a prank gone wrong, Loki gets kicked out of a class and must sign up for a new one in order to earn enough credits to graduate. The problem? He may or may not have implied wanting sexual relations with his teacher. Fortunately, it seems as if his feelings might not be so unrequited after all. AU, Thor/Loki with Tony/Steve on the side
1. i: Tangent Lines

a/n: written for a request for a high school AU on norse_kink, but after I tried to find it again, it mysteriously disappeared? ; A ; I'm posting this here in the mean time, then put it up there once I find it again~

again and again, I apologize in advance for any OOC behavior. ; w ;

* * *

i. Tangent Lines

Loki was one of those slightly-above-average students who actually liked school. Granted, it was mostly because he found his classmates rather gullible and they fell for virtually any sort of shenanigans that he played on them - which were carried out when he wasn't being a good student, of course. He was always careful enough that everyone - teachers and the student body alike - _knew_ it was him, yet made sure that there was an insufficient amount of evidence for them to actually accuse him.

This might have led him to making a few(read: _not so few_) enemies, but there was seldom he ran into that _wasn't_ an imbecile. So he digressed.

It was the beginning of the fourth marking period of his junior year - he was well on his way to graduating early - when Darcy succeeded in her umpteenth attempt to get him drunk. "One drink," Loki told her pointedly - he was feeling a little stressed lately - and tilted the glass back and drank the unnamed alcoholic beverage in two gulps. Turned out that he was a lightweight - but in his defense, how was he supposed to know? He'd never been intoxicated before!

"That's the spirit!" Darcy cheered next to him as she passed over a fifth glass. Their science textbook was knocked to the ground and, as her best friend steadily got more drunk, Loki ignored it in favor of staring at his laptop screensaver of a comic book villain - he couldn't recall the name at the moment, but the guy had two weird horns, which made Loki think that he resembled a cow, and subsequently burst out into hysterics.

"You know what we should do," Darcy slurred, leaning heavily on his shoulder. She was practically draping herself all over him. "We should break into Mr. Banner's classroom and - _hic!_ - screw with his chair or something. And then, and then…" She paused, her eyes going glassy for a moment as she reveled in thought. "Can you imagine his face when he sits down and then falls over?"

Loki personally had nothing against the science teacher. Rather, he was fond of the way the man occasionally let his temper loose. He could, unlike a majority of the other teachers, actually keep his students under control.

But by the seventh glass, the imaginary line between right and wrong was quickly blurring and Loki allowed himself to be led out of his own house(his parents, thankfully, were working late), slipping a black jacket on hastily. Darcy, who seemed to have done this countless times, pulled him along the short walk from Loki's house to the school, where she proceeded to find a way through the metal fence via wire cutters(both were surprised at the dexterity she had despite her sluggishness).

The rest of the escapade would be a gaping black hole in Loki Laufeyson's memory by the next morning. All he'd remember is running into an extremely muscular chest, looking up to confused cerulean blue eyes, and feeling the _strangest_ feeling he'd ever ever before in his life.

"You two are not supposed to be here," the man said with a frown, catching the raven-haired teen's forearm in a firm grip.

A sharp tug on Loki's arm from Darcy reminded him that they weren't supposed to be caught.

Loki wrenched his arm out of Darcy's hold and placed it delicately on the man's chest and, in a burst of either stupidity, drunkenness, or both, purred, "Are you going to punish me, hm?"

He couldn't see very properly, it being dark and him being hammered, but the man must have been mortified, because the grip on his arm slackened. Loki easily withdrew his arm before turning and taking down the hall with Darcy at his side.

The next morning, Loki awoke with a hangover and a feeling that this was not going to be a good day. And his premonitions were usually right.

But he decided to ignore that - he couldn't remember much of the previous night anyway, so they might have ended up not doing anything in the end. Plus, he had other pressing matters to worry about.

Like Darcy.

"I hate you," he said gravely at the moment she sidled up next to him as they walked through the school's front gates. "I hate you in every way imaginable." He glared at her, but the effect was ruined with the large, dark sunglasses he was wearing.

Darcy pushed her own sunglasses up her nose. "I love you too, sweetheart," she replied in a tone that suggested she wasn't fully coherent yet.

But that was okay. Loki wasn't, either. "I feel like my brain has been smashed open, glued back together by a blithering five-year-old, then smashed again. And I've taken painkillers."

"Obviously you didn't take enough," Darcy countered.

Loki gave an aggravated sigh. They passed by a large mirror on their way into the building, but he didn't want to see how disheveled he probably looked. "I don't even remember a single thing from last night," he lamented.

"Seriously?" Darcy laughed, although it was hoarse. "You don't remember sneaking into Mr. Banner's office, then almost getting caught because you decided to flirt with a freaking teacher?"

"I...what?"

"Never mind. You'll see in second period."

With those cryptic words, she patted her best friend's shoulder before ambling off to her locker, stumbling slightly along the way. Loki looked after her in worry(for himself, not her).

Maybe today really wasn't going to be a good day after all.

**. . .**

_Oh._

So _that's _what they did last night.

Loki watched as Mr. Banner was loaded onto a stretcher, then carted away to an ambulance. Who knew one could break their back through falling off of an unstable chair?

"We are going to be in _so_ much trouble," Darcy muttered next to him.

Loki raked a hand through his already-tousled hair. "Aren't you a genius." They stood there, along with other students and teachers, as the medics disappeared in the back. Then the ambulance rumbled away. "Not a word of this to anyone, and deny all accusations, understood?" Loki whispered to Darcy as the crowd began to disperse. He felt like it was their only choice in the mean time - at least, until he'd figured out a way to talk them out of this mess. "Or, I swear to whatever holy being resides up in the heavens, _I will-_"

The sound of someone clearing their throat cut him off in the middle of his creative threat. "Mr. Laufeyson. Miss Lewis."

Both students turned slowly.

The principal stood there with his arms crossed. Behind him was a familiar looking blond man.

Loki thought he would have a repeat of this morning(in other words: excessive barfing) when he realized that it was the same man he had practically rubbed up against last night.

"Good morning, Mr. Fury," Darcy greeted in an overly bright tone, but the principal's expression remained unamused.

"You two, in my office. Now."

Yes, today was_ definitely_ not going to be a good day.


	2. ii: The Road Not Taken

ii. The Road Not Taken

His name was Mr. Odinson. Loki personally didn't have him for class, although he had heard that this was his first year of teaching. He also heard most of the students refer to him as "Mr. O," but Loki found it silly to call the man that. He didn't look like a "Mr. O." He looked like someone who would demand to be called by their full last name. Quickly, though, Loki realized that his assumptions were probably wrong.

He watched as a girl apologized profusely for missing a due date, and he was close enough to hear the teacher assure her, "No worries, Miss Foster. You may turn it in for late points tomorrow morning."

Loki rolled his eyes as the teenager considerably widened. She looked like she was going to hug him, thought better for it, and gave a small bow in Mr. Odinson's direction before scurrying off with a grin plastered on her face, disappearing into the stream of students going down the hallway.

_Imbecile_, Loki thought derisively. Then he directed his attention to Mr. Odinson, who had turned and noticed him lingering awkwardly outside his door.

"Ah, mister…" The older man paused, as if trying to remember his last name.

Loki resisted the urge to knock him on the head - despite the fact that he was a teacher. "I don't believe we've met," he drawled. "I am Loki Laufeyson, but I very much prefer to be called Loki." Being called "Mr. Laufeyson" might just be his undoing.

Mr. Odinson arched a golden eyebrow, blue eyes taking in the sight of the black-haired boy, almost critically. They stood like this for a few moments, while the hallway slowly emptied as students headed for their lockers.

"Please?" Loki added flatly.

"I don't wish to be so informal with my students," his teacher said.

"It's the modern day, sir. Teachers do refer to students by their first names in this grand era of time."

"Please, Mr. Laufeyson. I'm not _that _ancient."

Loki eyed the facial hair. "I'm not here to argue about your age," he finally relented, deciding that he needed to be in this guy's good graces to pull this off. "I assume you heard about Mr. Banner." Silly question. He moved on: "And I assume that you heard Principal Fury's…ah, kind compromise to my friend and I."

Mr. Odinson shifted, looking uneasy for a second. "He mentioned it after you two left his office," he confirmed.

_No, you were standing outside and eavesdropping_, Loki silently corrected, but bit his tongue. _Good graces_, he thought. _Good graces_. "Due to Mr. Banner's current…situation," he stifled a wince, regret bubbling in the pit of his stomach. He would reprimand Darcy later, "I have been deemed unfit to stay in his class."

"You mean-"

"Yes, Mr. Odinson, I mean that I was kicked out of class, and in order for me to get the required amount of credits to graduate early, I must sign up for an alternate class."

Mr. Odinson looked affronted at being cut off. "I will not tolerate being spoken to in such a way."

Loki felt a kind of shudder run up his spine as, for a brief, miniscule moment, Mr. Odinson's eyes suddenly flashed, reflecting authority. Then Loki had to remind himself that this was the same man he had touched rather inappropriately, and that he probably shouldn't do anything else that might imply he had feelings for this man. The rumor mill was already working, and he had felt the questioning eyes of his classmates burning into the back of his head all day - no need to fuel the fire. "May we speak about this somewhere more private?" he requested as a senior shoved past him and effectively sent his books flying to the floor. His eye twitched. He knelt down to gather his papers.

"I think that may be best." Mr. Odinson picked up his binder before opening the door, letting Loki step into the English classroom. "Feel free to take a seat, Mr. Laufeyson-"

"Loki," the student cut in.

"Sit down."

With a huff, Loki plopped himself into the chair closest to the front, crossing his legs languidly. He watched as Mr. Odinson set his binder down and sat on the edge of the desk, arms crossed. "All right, Loki." He looked uncomfortable saying the name, as if it left a strange taste in his mouth.

Loki raised his nose higher into the air out of petulance.

"What you're asking here is...difficult. You have missed three entire semesters of lessons. You cannot earn a full credit, as you would if you were to take my class for an entire year."

"Then you'll teach me," Loki persisted, folding his hands on the desk and leaning forward. "I can come in after school, and you can teach me what I've missed."

"It isn't-"

"I learn quickly." Perhaps he sounded a little too eager - but honestly, Loki couldn't bring himself to care. He stared intently at his teacher; this was a life or death situation. He _needed_ at least half of a credit, if not all of one.

"Mr. Laufeyson-"

"_Loki._"

Mr. Odinson gave an irritated-sounding sigh. "Would you _stop_ interrupting me," he said gruffly, running a hand through blond strands of hair.

"Sorry." Loki didn't sound very apologetic.

The English literature teacher studied him for a few moments, mulling over the decision in his head. Through the windows, Loki spied the school buses beginning to file out of the parking lot. _Well,_ he thought, _there goes my ride._ He never had problems with walking home before, thanks to the short distance, but he wasn't exactly wearing shoes fit to walk in.

"All right," Mr. Odinson finally conceded, and Loki straightened in his seat, a victorious smile pulling at his lips. "I'll notify Principal Fury, and you can start attending my class tomorrow. Of course, your schedule will be altered, and you'll only be able to earn a maximum of half a credit.

Loki felt a huge wave of relief at that number; he'd only needed .25 to meet the requirement. "That'll be fine," he said. "Is it possible for me to also come during study hall, to make up for what I've missed?"

Mr. Odinson blinked, as if he couldn't believe that Loki was taking the compromise so easily. "I'm teaching a sophomore class during your study hall, I believe, so I'm afraid we can't do that."

"After school?" Loki tried.

There was a hesitation. "You're...You're serious about this, aren't you?" Mr. Odinson observed, eyeing his student with something akin to amusement. "Do you not have other extracurricular activities you do after school?"

Loki slumped at the question, admittedly a little embarrassed by the answer to that. He'd tried to join numerous clubs in his first year, of course, including the art club, math club, and even that one stupid drama club. But within a week of joining, he either was kicked out or became bored and stopped attending. But, really - was it his fault that his classmates couldn't take a joke? Or that they were dull and boring? He answered: "I have a lot of time."

"I suppose it all works out, then. We can sort out a schedule tomorrow." Mr. Odinson gave a clap of his hands, pushing away from the desk. "Your new schedule should be delivered to your homeroom." He reached behind him, taking Loki's binder and handing it to the emerald-eyed boy. "I... Ah, is that Thor?" His eyes flitted downwards and saw the sketch of the thunder god.

"Yes," Loki replied warily, taking the binder with the rest of his papers. He stood to leave, but Mr. Odinson kept speaking.

"I was named after him, you know."

"Oh. That's nice."

"I used to have the biggest fascination with Norse mythology when I was a child," Mr. Odinson continued to muse, eyes suddenly softening and looking more friendlier, as if now seeing Loki in a new light. There was even a small smile on his face. "Do you study it?" he asked.

Loki, bewildered at this sudden transformation, managed, "No. I just like to draw."

Nodding, Mr. Odinson stepped back to let him through. "You should read the myths," he suggested, sounding a little too enthusiastic than Loki would have liked. It suggested that they might have something in common, and that was the last thing that Loki wanted. Having to switch to this man's class was bad enough.

"I'll keep it in mind," Loki said stiffly, easing past the other and opening the door. "I'll...um, see you tomorrow, I guess, Mr. Odinson." He had added the last part on a whim and noted how foreign the name felt on his tongue. Loki wondered if that was how his teacher felt, calling him by his first name.

"Have a good afternoon, Loki," Mr. Odinson called.

Loki shut the classroom door behind him before practically running off to his locker, pretending that his heart wasn't beating as fast as it actually was.

**. . .**

To: Darcy  
From: Loki  
I hope you're happy.

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
how'd it go wit mr. o?_

To: Darcy  
From: Loki  
Better than I thought it would go. I've successfully become an addition to his class.

To: Darcy  
From: Loki  
And, please, Darcy. It's "with," not "wit." And use proper capitalization.

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
__awesum, maybe we'll be in the same class_

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
nerd  
_

**. . .  
**

Loki woke up the next morning with a grimace on his face. He threw on some clothes before leaving for the school, all the while arguing with Darcy why it should be "colour" instead of "color."

As soon as he entered his assigned homeroom, he spotted a piece of paper lying on his desk. When he read it, he found that a majority of his classes had been switched, chemistry was no longer listed and replaced by American Literature.

"Let me see it," Darcy ordered once she entered, and Loki willingly handed it over. "What! We only have two classes together now!"

"Maybe if you chose to take an extra class instead of another elective," Loki muttered sourly, and Darcy elbowed him before he could finish.

As the bell rang and he filed out of the classroom with the rest of the students, he found himself dreading his new ninth period class.

However, he _did_ choose to make a quick stop at the library to check out a book about Norse mythology.

* * *

a/n: Um yeah, not much happened, really. But I gotta get all of this set-up done before I can start getting deeper into the plot. xD

Thank you so much for all the support! You guys are awesome, seriously. *feeds you all chocolates*


	3. iii: The Irrationality of Pi

iii. The Irrationality of Pi

"Hey, Laufeyson."

Loki immediately cringed at the all-too familiar voice, pivoting at his heels very, very slowly. He raised an expectant eyebrow at the shorter, yet older boy standing before him. "Stark," he said evenly, refusing to acknowledge the other two goons behind him.

"I heard what you did to Mr. Banner." And then Stark was grinning, looking actually friendly for once - although it was a feral sort of friendly. Like, when a lion looks like it's smiling at you but you don't know whether it's actually smiling or if it's about to eat you.

"Who hasn't?" Loki said dryly, choosing to turn back to his locker. When he realized that Stark and his friends were still standing there, he shot them a sideways glance. "I'm not doing your homework, if that's what you're going to ask."

"Oh, not at all," the older boy said, as if he was appalled that Loki would even begin to think of such a thing. "Just wanted to drop by and say hi."

Loki almost snorted.

Tony Stark, residing asshole of their grade, simply did not "drop by and say hi."

"We're going to be late for class, Tony," one of Stark's friends spoke up - it was Clint. Loki recalled a time when they were best friends - until they entered sixth grade and Clint was immediately swept into Natasha and Tony's little gang.

The hallway was almost empty now. Loki pulled out the last of the books he'd need for his afternoon classes, shut his locker, and turned to the other students. "If you'll excuse me, lady and gentlemen, I have a history class to attend." He promptly sidestepped them, tucking his books comfortably against his hip and walking away.

**. . .**

To: Darcy  
From: Loki  
Did you do something to piss off Stark and Company again?

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
wut do u mean again? And no y_

To: Darcy  
From: Loki  
*What  
*You  
*Why  
And because they showed up at my locker.

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
*no  
*no  
*no  
and rly? probably mad at you for breaking his fave teacher's back  
_

To: Unable to spell correctly  
From: Loki  
They claimed they merely wanted to say hello.

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
or its one of those love hate things Stark has going on and he totally wants to bang you_

**. . .**

"Loki."

Said raven-haired teen turned around with an expression of annoyance on his face, eyebrows knitted downwards in a displeased frown. "What do- Oh. Mr. Rogers."

He and his history teacher had a little staring contest for a few moments, until Loki realized that his cell phone, which he had tried to hide behind his Norse mythology book, was now quite visible in his hands.

"I understand that you're finished with your test, Loki," Mr. Rogers said calmly, although his eyes were trained somewhere else… Loki followed his line of sight. _Then_ he realized that his teacher was currently reading a text that was suggesting someone wanted to bang him.

Fan_tastic._

"Your phone." Mr. Rogers held out a hand in the universal gesture of give-it-to-me-now. His stern expression, though, was mostly ruined by the red stain on his cheeks.

Loki repressed a huff and handed it over. He would find a way to slip it from the man's pocket later, anyway.

"And you'll be having detention with me after school."

This time Loki had to bite his lip. He had _plans_ after school: He and Darcy were going to visit a bakery that supposedly sold some of the best pudding. And-

He realized that he also had an after school session with Mr. Odinson.

"Mr. Rogers," Loki began, raising a finger as if to stop the teacher, but the man was already walking back to the front of the class.

"There are others still taking the test, Mr. Laufeyson," Mr. Rogers said over his shoulder, and Loki forced himself to keep his mouth shut and seethe silently for the rest of the class.

**. . .**

The class was actually pretty small. There looked to be thirty or so chairs lined in the room, but only a little more than half of them were filled up.

Loki stood in front of the room semi-awkwardly. Mr. Odinson was currently explaining to the class that he would be joining them for the rest of the year, and multiple pairs of eyes lazily examined the newcomer. Darcy, who was sitting near the back, waved not-so-subtly.

When Mr. Odinson finally told him he could sit down, Loki exhaled and walked to the back, sidling into a seat next to his best friend.

Mr. Odinson eyed him warily for a few moments, as if he could already foretell the kind of trouble that Loki was going to cause.

Loki, flashing him an innocent look, proceeded to take out a pencil and his newly-acquired English textbook.

"All right," his teacher said finally, looking away first to tap something into his laptop. A few seconds later, the projector whirred to life, and an image of Shakespeare flickered onto the chalkboard, "now, would everyone turn to page five-hundred seventy two..."

For the next forty minutes, Loki struggled to keep up with a ten-page long reading full of Shakespearean terms that were _not_ meant to be taken in copious amounts, lest the reader wanted their head to explode. There was a reason he always preferred mathematics to literature.

By the time the dismissal bell rung, Loki's head was throbbing and he was more than ready to jump out of the window, as long as he was far, far away from the hellish object called their English textbook.

"Good job surviving your first day," Darcy chirped, clapping him on the shoulder.

Feeling a little queasy, Loki followed her out of the classroom.

He could only imagine what the next two and a half months were going to be like.

**. . .**

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
Where r u i'm out front_

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
come onnnnn_

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
hurry up loki _

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
If ur not out here in the next two minutes I'm leaving_

To: Unable to spell correctly  
From: Loki  
Sorry, teacher took my phone and I just got it back. I have detention, though, so you can leave without me.

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
oh good ur fine I thought tony got to ya_

To: Unable to spell correctly  
From: Loki  
Please, please, please, Darcy, stop that. You're going to give me nightmares.

**. . .**

His phone buzzed with another reply, but before he could take it out to reply, there was a hand that came down on his shoulder, effectively scaring the daylights out of him. There was a two-second panic that it was Tony - what? It was Darcy's fault for poisoning his mind like that. She had refused to cease whispering things and passing notes to him throughout class.

"Mr. Laufeyson," said a voice that was a little _too_ close to his ear, which proceeded to make the ends of Loki's hair stand straight up.

At least he knew then it wasn't who he thought it was - Stark never used such formalities before.

"Mr. Odinson," Loki greeted, the relief evident in his voice. He slung his backpack over his shoulder, peering inquisitively up at the blond man. "Do you require something?"

"I was wondering if you had already forgotten about our after school sessions," the English teacher replied. Then, the corners of his mouth twitched up into a smile. "Or was my class just so unbearable that you practically ran out of the door?"

_The latter_, Loki answered in his head. Out loud, he said: "Believe me, Mr. Odinson, I would never forget of such a thing. Unfortunately, it seems that I can't make it today."

Mr. Odinson tilted his head, blue eyes dubious. "And why not?"

"I have been given detention by Mr. Rogers."

"Ah, I see." Mr. Odinson's expression softened considerably. "He did mention giving detention to someone, earlier. I'm assuming he was speaking of you."

"Most likely." He sincerely hoped that Mr. Rogers wasn't too detailed when he retold the story. He was going to be spending _a lot_ of time with Mr. Odinson. He didn't want to spend that entire time knowing that his teacher thought he was engaged in sexual activities with the giant dickhead of the school.

(Not that it would make much of a difference, really. There was still that drunken incident two nights ago.)

"I'm sure that if we explain the situation, he'll understand." The hand on his shoulder squeezed, and Loki found himself being steered towards the same classroom he'd just run out of several minutes ago.

They ran into Mr. Rogers halfway there.

"Steve," Mr. Odinson greeted in a jovial tone, smiling at the other blond-haired man.

"Thor," Mr. Rogers returned evenly. His eyes traveled to the student beside him. "And Loki."

It was more than a little strange to witness his teachers interacting on a first-name basis. Loki thought of the pudding that he could be eating at that moment. "Hello, Mr. Rogers."

"I'm going to pretend that you were heading to my room to report to detention, instead of trying to slip away," the history teacher said. He was staring at the backpack on Loki's shoulders.

"Yes, about that," Mr. Odinson cut in before Loki could even open his mouth. "Mr. Laufeyson here had already scheduled a meeting with me after school. You might have heard about Bruce's accident..."

Mr. Rogers studied Loki, something like new-found interest suddenly appearing in his eyes. "He was the one who...?"

"We would appreciate if you could allow him to catch up in my class."

_No, _you_ would appreciate it. I, on the other hand, would be more than willing to be in detention than reading Shakespeare and Mark Twain_, Loki wanted to say.

"I guess it'd be better than just letting him sit around for two hours..." Mr. Rogers shrugged. "Sure."

At that moment, Tony Stark emerged from the history classroom, expression curious. "Steve?" he called down the hallway. "Thought I was supposed to be in detention?"

Mr. Rogers's face went florid, and Loki figured that it was probably because of that text. Really, Darcy needed to be more careful with what she texted him during the school day. Especially during class.

"Uh, good luck with your...work, then, Thor." And Mr. Rogers turned to go re-join the other detention victims.

Which left Loki alone with Mr. Odinson.

Who, by the way, still had his hand on his shoulder - a gesture that was sending strange tingles through Loki's skin.

"Before we get started on what you've missed, we'll have to establish a schedule." Mr. Odinson casually began to guide him towards the English classroom. "I had Wednesdays and Thursdays in mind-"

"Why not every day?" Loki interrupted when they were inside. "I can do that."

"Every day? After school?" Loki gave a small (impatient) nod. "Well- If you're absolutely _positive._"

"And I am."

"I do not want this class to be something you will resent, and have you stomping into my classroom everyday with an attitude."

The truth and the bluntness of the statement made Loki's cheeks go a little red. He feigned obliviousness. "I like to think that I do everything whole-heartedly, Mr. Odinson." He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth.

_"Like getting drunk and inappropriately touching your teacher?__"_ The question was not spoken out loud, but it was implied.

"Aren't you supposed to be teaching me things?" Loki snapped, irritated at the awkward silence. He pulled a chair up to Mr. Odinson's desk, sat himself down, and made a big show of unzipping his bag and taking out his textbook.

A few seconds later, he heard Mr. Odinson chuckle. "I think I may be starting to grow fond of you, Loki."

And all Loki could do was slump down in his seat, hiding his face behind his book, regretting all those times he insisted on being called by his first name.

* * *

a/n: Whoops, I accidentally hinted at other pairings lol  
Just a warning: Not all updates might come this fast. I don't know what's possessing me to write so much in such a short span of time - I think it's because of the constant Thorki that keeps popping up on my dashboard on Tumblr. o u o;;

thank you guys for your support omg ; A ;


	4. iv: Romeo and Juliet

iv. Romeo and Juliet

Thor honestly expected Loki to keep up his attitude and general grumpiness throughout the afternoon. Loki didn't seem too happy with starting with Shakespeare, but it was the very first thing they'd done in the beginning of the school year, and thus the first thing on their to-do list.

"I don't see why this is a classic," the black-haired teen muttered after stumbling on his umpteenth "doth."

"Perhaps it's because they do not say something after every sentence," Thor commented. He couldn't help the bit of mirth that seeped into his voice - it was amusing to see Loki so frustrated with the piece. "Your friend - Darcy, I believe? - did quite well with this lesson."

Loki had then snorted rather ungracefully. "Literature really isn't my forte, Mr. Odinson."

"What is?"

"Numbers. Math. Subjects that don't deal with sentiments. I think it's unnecessary to waste time in trying to figure out what Shakespeare could have meant by writing this, or that. Really, who _cares_?" He leaned back in his seat, the textbook open before him. "I would be more than happy to read Romeo and Juliet in my free time, but why the hell do we need to know the hidden message in their deaths?" Loki's expression softened when he realized that profanity that had slipped his mouth. "Oh. Sorry."

Thor held back a chuckle at his student's eagerness to share his opinion. "I see," he relented - although he had personally enjoyed Romeo and Juliet himself.

"Hm, I suppose we can hold off on the questions," Loki's face lit up with a hopeful smile, "until we finish the reading." The smile dropped.

"Okay." Loki looked disappointed. "How far would you like me to read tonight?"

Thor tilted his head, confused for a moment. Then he caught sight of the clock on the wall, which indicated that it had been a little over an hour and a half since they started. He took the textbook, leafing through the pages thoughtfully. "Read up to page five hundred two, if you would."

Loki ran a hand through his sleek black hair - Thor found himself staring at those long fingers. Did Loki play the piano? It looked like he could. "I will do so, Mr. Odinson," his student said curtly, rising out of his chair.

Nodding, Thor watched as the younger male stuffed the textbook into his backpack, before shouldering the hulking thing. He felt a little guilty for making him take the huge book home.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Odinson." And Loki moved to exit the room.

"Oh, and Loki?" Thor called after him.

Loki glanced over his shoulder wordlessly, looking expectant.

"Please try to maintain a more positive attitude next time," Thor continued, pointing with a pen. "I know that you're capable of a more.._carefree_ persona."

To the English teacher's amusement, Loki's cheeks flustered brightly before he hurried away out of sight.

**. . .**

"Of all the possible victims on this planet," Loki groaned under his breath, "why does this happen to _me_?"

He lobbed his backpack onto his bed, watching disdainfully as the bulging thing bounced. Inside was a textbook waiting to be read.

Loki chose to turn around and head to the kitchen for some food instead. He would do it later.

**. . .**

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
heyyy can i come over?  
_

_To: Bitch_  
_From: Darcy_  
_hello?_

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
u still at school or something  
_

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
LOKI  
_

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
LOKI-KINS  
_

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
SWEETHEART  
_

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
DARLIIIING  
_

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
okay fine i can take a hint  
_

_To: Bitch_  
_From: Darcy_  
_...wat was the math hw?_

**. . .  
**

Loki woke up the next morning to the _ever_ lovely sound of his alarm clock blaring in his ears. A startled noise escaped his lips - a cross between an indignant squeal and a loud screech - and jolted upright, before flailing wildly and spilling onto the floor.

He scrambled to rip the batteries out, chest heaving. He read the time and proceeded to do another wild "dance," lunging for his closet as he realized that he had five minutes before he would be late.

Fifteen minutes later, he burst through the school's front doors with his backpack and shoes in hand, shirt buttoned wrong, one of his trousers' legs bunched up, face flushed in exertion, hair sticking out in strange directions.

The secretary spared him a sympathetic glance, but handed over a late slip as he passed by the counter. Loki, with a grudging sigh, accepted it before starting to trudge towards the locker area.

It was in that convenient moment that he noticed how light his backpack was, and remembered that he'd left his English textbook sitting on his desk at home.

Loki cursed, long and creatively, under his breath.

Then, as if his day couldn't get any worse, he literally bumped into Mr. Odinson's chest and spilled his half-open backpack onto the floor. He subconsciously grabbed onto the older man's forearms to steady himself, thus rendering the situation horribly familiar.

"Good morning," his English teacher said, and when Loki looked up, he could see the amusement written clearly across the blond's face.

"Morning," Loki choked out uncouthly.

In his defense, he was still half-asleep. And technically, it was Mr. Odinson's fault! He'd stayed up all night trying to get through the twenty five pages he'd been assigned!

Mr. Odinson looked like he was going to say something, but Loki felt already far too embarrassed. He let go of his teacher and hurriedly shoved his books into his backpack. He hefted it over his shoulders again and scurried away, all the while refusing to meet the man's eyes.

"Loki?" Mr. Odinson called, but Loki resolutely ignored him and continued in a brisk pace to his locker.

**. . .**

"It's a miracle," Darcy crowed as she watched her bedraggled friend slump into an empty seat beside her. "I never thought I'd live to see the day you were late to school."

"Not in the mood." Loki dropped his books onto the desk and slumped into his seat. After unsuccessfully trying to ignore Darcy's persistent poking, he finally turned to her and snapped, "What?"

Darcy noticed the dark bag under his eyes and whistled. "Wow, what the heck happened to _you_?"

"Shakespeare," Loki said dryly.

"Oh, I remember reading that one play! I totally aced the unit."

"You used SparksNotes."

"You might call it cheating, but I call it being resourceful." She grinned, tapping her head, as if to show just how intellectual she was. "So I'm guessing things with Mr. O aren't going well?"

Loki ran a hand through his disheveled black hair, forehead crinkling in a frown. "I wish I never got drunk with you."

"Uh huh."

"Maybe then I wouldn't be stuck with one of the worst possible classes to ever come into existence."

"Uh huh."

"I wish- You're not even listening anymore, are you."

"Hey, I think Stark's ogling you."

_"What?"_ Loki whipped around, glaring daggers at said boy in the back. The cheeky little bastard grinned and waved back.

"Loki, Tony." Up front, Mr. Rogers sounded weary. "Please pay attention to the announcements."

Loki gladly turned back around, although he subsequently missed the way Tony's eyes narrowed.

**. . .**

In between eighth and ninth period, Loki slipped into the bathroom to take a look at himself.

When his own sunken eyes stared back at him through the glass, he almost went into one of the stalls and flushed his own head into the toilets. He'd been walking around all day looking like _that_? He began to regret refusing Darcy's offers to fix his hair for him... (He'd been too stubborn. Like always.)

He set his books on the counter, before stepping over to the sink and flipping the handle. He gladly cupped his hands underneath the spray of cold water and splashed his face several times, relishing the feeling.

He didn't notice Stark leaning casually against the wall behind him until he'd dried his face. When he did catch sight of the older student just watching him, Loki almost jerked forward and slammed his face into the mirror.

"Jesus," he heard Stark mutter under his breath.

Loki was curious, but didn't want to know - really, his day was going rather terribly. He didn't need another thing to stress over.

So he picked up his books and moved to exit the bathroom-

-only to be stopped by Stark.

"Your shirt was like this all day," the shorter of the two chastised, forcibly removing Loki's books and setting them on the counter again. "Do you have any idea how much it bothered me?"

Loki, frozen and unable to get any words out, just stood there as deft fingers began to unbutton his shirt.

"A lot." Stark again, and he sounded too casual. All of the buttons were undone, and then he began to button them correctly.

"When did you become my mother?" Loki raised an eyebrow, but uncertainty was evident in his voice. Despite his mind's screaming for him to push the older student away, his arms had become pieces of heavy lead at his side.

Tony didn't answer, instead finishing the last few buttons and then patting Loki's shoulder. His mouth quirked into a little grin. "I'll be waiting to accept your gratitude anytime."

"I hope you're prepared to wait forever," Loki sniped harshly. He finally found the will to push Stark away. He grabbed his books off the counter and sidestepped the other, who was still grinning. "I don't know what you want with me, Stark, and quite frankly, I don't _want_ to know, but I would very much appreciate it if you stopped harassing me." He didn't bother waiting for an answer and walked out of the bathroom.

Down the hall, Mr. Rogers was standing outside of his classroom, looking left and right, expression a little worried. A door away, Mr. Odinson was just closing his door when he spotted Loki.

"Ah, Mr. Laufeyson! I was wondering if you were planning to show up." The English teacher raised his hand in a wave, only to lower it slowly, eyes trained on something behind Loki.

Upon turning around, Loki realized that he was staring at Stark, who was walking out of the bathroom with his hands in his pockets and a lazy smirk on his face. "Sorry, we got caught up in a little chat, Mr. Odinson." He slung an arm around Loki's shoulders and began to lead them towards the two confused-looking teachers.

"What are you _doing_?" Loki hissed. "Let go of me, you imbecile-"

"Tony," Mr. Rogers said warningly.

Stark sighed loudly and relinquished his grip, much to the younger boy's relief. Loki wasted no time in dashing for the English classroom, which suddenly looked like the most appealing place in the world.

"Hope you don't mind my lateness, Steve," he thought he heard Stark say, but brushed it off as something of his imagination; students didn't call teachers by their first names.

He sat down in the nearest available seat and tried to pay attention to how Mr. Odinson was currently dissecting Romeo and Juliet, pretending that his heart wasn't drumming as hard as it was.

**. . .**

The sound of the dismissal bell meant several things: There was only an hour and a half more of learning until he could finally relax for the weekend, and that he wouldn't have to see Stark for a span of two days. Hooray.

All packed up, Loki waited awkwardly outside of the English classroom, mulling over how he was going to explain his forgotten textbook. Surely Mr. Odinson would let him borrow one of the other-

"-need to put a stop to it, Steve, before-"

Loki blinked at the two teachers that stepped out of the classroom.

Mr. Odinson looked surprised to see him there and Mr. Rogers's frown deepened a little.

"Oh, Loki." Mr. Odinson ran a hand through his blond hair, signs of stress visible in his demeanor. "I'm afraid we cannot have a session today."

"..._Wha__t_?" Loki all but demanded. "Don't you know how much you have to teach me? Don't you know how little time we have left?"

"Yes, I am aware, but a serious predicament has occurred, and I am needed somewhere else for this afternoon," Mr. Odinson replied firmly. "We can continue on Monday."

"I have a dentist's appointment to attend on Monday. I'm not going to be in school for that whole afternoon." Loki crossed his arms, looking up at the man determinedly. "There is already so much I need to catch up on, and missing two sessions isn't going to help-"

"All right, all right. How about... Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

Loki blinked at the strange question. "No... But I don't see how that matters-"

"Good. I'm assuming you've been to the coffee house about a block away from here?"

Loki nodded mutely.

"Be there at four in the afternoon." Mr. Odinson ran a hand through his hair again, eyes briefly flickering to the other teacher. He seemed...nervous. "Bring your textbook."

"O-Okay." Loki wasn't sure how to respond - were they even allowed to do this? To meet outside of class? Oh, god, it sounded like a-

"Now, if you'll excuse us," Mr. Odinson said curtly, and brushed past him. Mr. Rogers spared the student a wary glance before following the other man.

Loki was left standing there dumbly in the hallway, dazed and confused.

He couldn't _wait_ to graduate.

* * *

a/n: yay plot's happening! :o  
Ahhhh Tony was supposed to be in the same grade as Loki by the way - I don't know what possessed me to type in "senior" in the previous chapter. I think I fixed all mentions of him being older though, but in case I missed one and anyone gets confused, he's in the same grade as Loki!


	5. v: Pythagorean Theorem

v. Pythagorean Theorem

When Loki opened his curtains the following morning, he almost shrieked at the rock that pelted the glass with a sharp _thunk!_ He didn't, though, not because it would have been a very unmanly thing to do, but because he realized that it was Darcy down there, grinning widely, and he had a _lot_ of unfinished business with his "best friend."

He motioned for her to come up - the front door was unlocked, right? - and rolled his eyes when she did a little victory dance before disappearing. Loki flopped back onto his bed and waited for the tell-tale sound of the girl running up the stairs.

"You bitch!" Darcy ever-lovingly exclaimed the moment she walked in. Kicking the door shut behind her, she wasted no time in jumping on the bed ungracefully, almost landing on Loki. "You've been keeping things from me."

"Yes, well, Darcy," Loki drawled, reaching over to grab his laptop, "I haven't exactly had the time for chitchat lately." He spared his desktop a glance - huh, since when was _that_ his screensaver? - before double-clicking on the Firefox icon.

Darcy sidled up next to him, bringing her feet up and resting them languidly across his neat bed. It wrinkled the blanket, which elicited a frown from Loki. "But I've been waiting a while to talk about you and your lover. Seriously, Loki-"

"Um, pardon?" Loki's fingers froze over the keyboard, mid-URL. "Did you just imply that I have a, and I quote, _lover?_"

"Yeah." Darcy stared at him for a few seconds, and Loki stared back evenly, hoping she would understand that he had no idea what she was talking about. She added slowly, "Stark?"

He grimaced at that particular thought. "And what made you come to the conclusion that he and I are...involved together?"

"He wouldn't stop talking about you during history," Darcy replied grimly. "It was always, 'Well, Loki did this,' and 'Loki knows that.' I swear, Mr. Rogers was going to bust a vein."

Loki sighed and ran a hand through his hair, ignoring the way it caused several black strands to fall onto his face. Stark was most likely planning his demise. Somehow. If the guy could find a way to make a flashlight out of some scraps of metal, he would be able to bring Loki to his death by doing nothing more than just standing there, because even _knowing_ about his existence was enough to make Loki blanch. (And lose faith in humanity a little bit more.)

"I don't like him." When Loki deemed this not enough, he emphasized, "I utterly despise him."

And Darcy looked unconvinced. "Right."

"If I could, I would freeze him over, decapitate him into small pieces, and then feed him to the guidance counselor's pet."

"Okay, that's a little harsh," Darcy relented, flashing him a weird look.

"You're right. He would probably give poor Slepnir diarrhea."

Darcy shuddered at the gruesome imagery. "You either really do hate him, have finally snapped, or just in denial."

"Why, yes, Darcy, I'm absolutely _swimming_ in denial," Loki snarked, sarcasm dripping heavily from his words. "It's so evident with the way I speak so lovingly and _fondly_ about Tony Stark."

Maybe, in an alternate universe, he might have been on better terms with Tony Stark. It would most likely have been an alternate universe in which Loki was the ruler of the world and Stark was simply one of his subjects. The problem was, they were not in such a universe; Loki, unfortunately, was not royalty, and Stark's ego was too big to allow him to be a subordinate. They inhabited a universe in which Stark, Natasha_, _and Clint were together an entity that was the bane of Loki's existence.

In short: He strongly disliked him. And he was sure that the feeling was mutual.

(Well, just fairly certain. Loki hadn't been sure what to think in the past few days.)

"All right, calm down, Princess." Darcy put her hands up in the universal gesture of okay-don't-get-your-panties-in-a-twist - at least, that's what she interpreted it to be. "I was just asking, jeez."

"Try not to inquire any further, then."

"What do you want to do today?" And so the subject was easily changed.

Loki imagined the several different reactions he could elicit by telling her that he was seeing their teacher after school. After running through the fourth scenario in which Darcy screamed and shook him silly, he decided against it. "What did you have in mind?"

"Since you were too busy last time, I had to go to that pudding place by myself. We should-"

"You went...by yourself?" Loki was gaping at her, expression quickly turning into one of horror. Yes, he was a straight-A student, with a soaring GPA and high aspirations of becoming a chemist - this was a very, very serious matter. "I thought we decided we'd go together."

"Yeah, but you were too busy being yourself and over-achieving," Darcy said with a petulant frown, draping herself across his shoulder. "My stomach was craving pudding and you weren't there, so eventually my feet took action and led me to the bakery."

"You're insufferable."

"If that translates to, 'I love you so much Darcy, you're my best friend ever,' then yes, I'm glad you've acknowledged the truth."

Loki rolled his eyes, nudging the girl away and getting up, stretching. "I can't come."

"But then I'm going to have to eat pudding by myself again, and when you find out again, you'll get mad. Again!"

He had to choose his words carefully here. "I'm visiting my mother," he said without so much as a twitch, the lie coming almost too easily. It brought a slight pang to his chest, but he dismissed it as a fleeting sentiment. Unimportant.

"...For God's sake, Loki," Darcy groaned, covering her face with her hands. "You always know how to make me feel bad."

"I wasn't trying to make you feel bad," Loki protested, tone guileless. "I'll be back by tomorrow afternoon, if you'd still like to eat together."

"Nah." Darcy sulked, shoulders hunched. "Math competition."

Loki nodded sympathetically. "Ah."

Lying came naturally to Loki and he usually had no qualms about resorting to it, but he couldn't deny the slight sense of guilt for using his mother, of all people.

"Yeah, I know, right? Usually they're not so bad, but there's this guy..." And then Darcy was thoroughly distracted, and at least then, the crisis was averted.

He would deal with his morality later - at the moment, he had other issues.

**. . .**

_"How long?"  
_

_Steve looked uncomfortable discussing this, and Thor couldn't blame him. Still, it had been an issue for some time now, and it was bound to get out of hand eventually. "Since he first stepped into my classroom."  
_

_Knowing the boy's persistence, Thor could only nod grimly along. "He does seem the type." A pause. He added: "And you've told him to stop, more than once?"  
_

_"Of course."  
_

_Thor had no idea why the other man would approach _him_, of all people, for advice on a topic like this. "I think that he will eventually move on from you," he said slowly, eyes hesitantly rising to meet Steve's. "It is close to the end of the year, and I'm sure that he will forget about you in the business of summer and his last year of high school."_

_He was surprised to hear Steve chuckling. "There was an insult somewhere in that statement, I think."  
_

_Thor cocked an eyebrow questioningly. "I do not see how that could have been taken as an insult...?"  
_

_"Never mind, buddy." Steve clapped him on the shoulder before rising, a small grin on his face. He looked worn out. "I'm sure you're right."  
_

_Thor nodded, watching as his fellow teacher walked towards the door.  
_

_"Oh, and Thor?"  
_

_"Yes?"  
_

_"...I'd like for this to stay between us." Steve ran a hand through his normally-impeccable hair. He added, almost as an afterthought, "Please?"  
_

_Thor gave him a long glance.  
_

_There was something - he wasn't sure what, but _something _- that gave off the impression that, if it weren't for the danger of the concept, Steve might have...enjoyed the attention._

_"You need not ask, my friend."  
_

_For some reason, he thought of Loki Laufeyson.  
_

**. . .  
**

"We're going to be talking about books," Loki muttered to himself as he touched his smooth hair back for the umpteenth time. "It doesn't matter what I look like."

His empty bedroom only responded with silence. His mind challenged: _Then why have you spent the last fifteen minutes fixing your hair? __And the last half an hour before that try to find the right clothes? _It was quarter to four already and he didn't even have his shoes on (or picked out).

With an aggravated sigh, he tossed his comb somewhere over to his bed, grabbed his books, and walked out of his room. Some time later, when his hair was finally all smoothed down, his shirt was straightened, and he was wearing shoes, he stepped outside with a messenger bag slung around his shoulder, filled with the books he'd be needing for that afternoon.

After the short walk, he was pleased to find that he was only three minutes late. He had just stepped onto the curb when he caught sight of his teacher getting out of his car, already in the parking lot.

Loki was surprised to see his teacher looking so..._normal._ In the few days he'd spent in his English class, he had gotten used to dress shirts and ties. Mr. Odinson was wearing a flannel shirt - two buttons left undone at the top - and faded jeans. His hair was even tied back in a small ponytail.

For some reason, butterflies fluttered in Loki's stomach; he had to remind himself that such insects couldn't possibly be inhabiting his insides, and that to feel this jittery was irrational.

It was a study session.

Mr. Odinson glanced around and then saw him - Loki froze in his steps, much like a deer in the headlights.

His teacher gave a single wave and gestured for him to come over; Loki did so with heavy foot falls. "Ah, I'm glad that you were able to make it, Mr. Laufeyson," Mr. Odinson said cheerily. "I apologize for the suddenness of this meeting."

"No, sir," Loki returned. "I insisted."

Mr. Odinson's eyes crinkled in a smile. "Let us go inside, then."

A few seconds later, Loki felt a warm hand pressing into the small of his back, guiding him towards the diner's front doors. He was torn between quipping, "I hope you're aware that I'm fully capable of walking myself" or just allowing his cheeks to go florid and let himself be led. In the end, he chose the latter.

Up to that moment, he had thought that things would go smoothly: He and Mr. Odinson would cover yesterday's lesson, and then whatever he was going to miss on Monday. Then they would go home, thus allowing Loki to forget that something so similar to a casual outing ever happened between him and his teacher. Everyone and everything - including his early graduation - would be sound.

But has it been mentioned before how unlucky Loki actually tended to be? If not, then consider yourself, reader, told: He tended to get caught in rather unfortunate situations.

Prime example: The current one.

"Excuse us," Mr. Odinson murmured as they walked through the entrance together, and the girl they passed wouldn't have noticed, with earphones in her ears, wouldn't have noticed if Loki hadn't accidentally made eye contact-

-and realized that it was Darcy.

The shit-eating grin that his best friend flashed him as she walked away made Loki want to strangle her, then crawl in a hole and die.

Really, how was his life _this_ unfair?

_I've been good all my life,_ he lamented silently as Mr. Odinson led them to a booth in the corner. _Well, mostly good. What have I done to deserve this?_

He was halfway through unpacking his books onto the table when Mr. Odinson handed him a menu.

"Um," Loki said uncomfortably, because he hadn't been aware that they were going to eat. _Together._

"Order whatever you'd like," Mr. Odinson said, already looking through his own. "It's the least I can do for spoiling your Saturday by making you come here."

Loki opened his mouth to say, "Can't we just read Shakespeare?" but instead he found himself saying, "I'm not hungry." He set the menu down, kicking his feet nervously against the carpeted floor.

"But I insist, Mr. Laufeyson." Mr. Odinson seemed sincere. "You may be stuck here with me for quite a while, and it wouldn't settle well on my conscience knowing you were starving the whole time." He gave the menu a prompting nudge in his student's direction.

"But-" Loki's shoulders slumped. "All right."

He hardened his expression, determined not to show how much this threw him off-track(which, by the way, was a lot). When he decided that he would get the smallest thing on the menu (a glass of milk), he set it aside and continued his unpacking.

"Ah, I see you're brushing up on Norse mythology," Mr. Odinson said some time later, and Loki didn't know what he was talking about until he realized that he'd accidentally brought his library book along.

"Hm," he said, staring curiously down at it. He must have accidentally picked it up along with his textbook. "Yes. I...was mildly interested."

"I've proposed to the district that they should add Norse mythology to the English curriculum." Mr. Odinson folded his own menu back up. "If we are to teach our students about Greek mythology, why not Norse mythology as well?"

Loki actually agreed to this. "I think it's far more intriguing than Greek mythology."

That brought a smile to his teacher's face. "I'm glad I've finally found someone else who thinks so!" And then he leaned over the table to clap Loki on his shoulder, almost _affectionately._

_Aren't teachers not allowed to touch their students?_ Loki thought, throat dry, as he felt the touch linger a little more than necessary. _Or to casually eat with them outside of school?_

The waitress came - a tall, dark-haired woman - and she seemed to know Mr. Odinson already. "Good to see you here again, Thor," she greeted, flipping her notepad open. Taking a pencil from behind her ear, she inquired, "I'm assuming you want your usual serving of pancakes...despite the fact that it is four in the afternoon."

Mr. Odinson grinned, somewhat sheepishly. "You know me well, Sif."

The woman - Sif - turned to Loki. At first her gaze was questioning, but it eventually wore away to a friendlier expression. "And you, sir?"

"A glass of milk, please," Loki said, feeling suddenly ridiculous.

"Milk?" Mr. Odinson echoed with a tone of amusement. "Surely you jest, Mr. Laufeyson."

"A milk_shake_, then," Loki deadpanned.

"Coming right up." The waitress tucked her notepad into her pocket before leaving with their menus.

Mr. Odinson spoke up, "I don't wish to receive a phone call from your parents with accusations of me letting you go hungry."

"You won't."

Loki skillfully avoided his eyes, opening his English textbook to an illustration of Romeo and Juliet. "I think we'll be able to cover some parts while we wait for...our food to arrive."

"Which god is your favorite?" Mr. Odinson said, once again almost causing Loki to fall out of his seat. He was looking at the book of Norse mythology still lying off to the side.

Loki moved to put it back inside his bag, but Mr. Odinson stopped him. With a small frown, Loki forced himself to answer: "The God of Mischief."

Mr. Odinson's eyes seemed to twinkle in amusement. "I personally like the God of Thunder."

"I perceive him to be arrogant and brash. He's, if you'll pardon the expression, all brawn and no brains." He made sure to put air quotes around that.

"He is a warrior - valiant, if you ask me."

"He doesn't fare well with rationalization."

"Sometimes one does not have time to rationalize, and must simply act."

Loki raised a haughty eyebrow. "Are you defending him merely because you are his namesake?"

"It depends if the God of Mischief is your favorite only because _you_ are his namesake."

The banter continued, Loki getting quite riled up while his teacher looked positively entertained. The food came, and even then they were still arguing(or, Loki had stated his opinion and his teacher insisted on begging to differ). Eventually, it died down with some sort of compromise, and made way for other conversations, mostly about other Norse myths, some about how Loki was doing in school. The English textbook sat, ignored, and it wasn't until Loki was packing up an hour later that he realized they got virtual nothing accomplished.

And, strangely, he didn't mind.

"Where do you live?" Mr. Odinson asked as their check was taken away and they both rose to leave.

Loki looked up at him. "Why?"

"So I know where to drop you off, of course," Mr. Odinson said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world to say.

For a moment, Loki felt the butterflies again. (_Go away, you vile insects.) _"I walked here; I can walk home," he said firmly, but apparently he didn't sound convincing enough, because Mr. Odinson was leading him to his car and _oh God they were going to be in a small space. Together._

Loki waited for the sense of panic to hit him - it did, but not as overwhelmingly as he'd been prepared for. It was minor, almost shrouded by the sense of...something else.

He couldn't put a finger on it, but then again, he wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

"All right," he finally acquiesced. Given that day's events, surely a ride home was no big deal. Plus, he'd already gone as far as to accept a PopTart that his teacher offered him. (It was s'mores flavored.)

The car ride was uneventful, thankfully; Loki didn't think he would have been able to say anything coherently while being hyper-sensitively aware of Mr. Odinson next to him. When the car pulled up in front of his house, he climbed out with a, "Thank you, Mr. Odinson."

The blond man gave a nod in his direction. "Have a good rest of your weekend, Loki," he said, before reaching across to pull the door shut.

Loki walked up to his front door while recounting the past hour or so. When he walked into his room and tossed his bag carelessly to the floor, there was perhaps the hints of a smile on his face.

* * *

a/n: a little late, but this turned out a bit longer than I thought it would :o  
As for the pairings in this story - since there were some questions from the previous chapter - I don't want to set anything in stone yet, regarding Steve/Tony and Tony/Loki, but the main focus of this story will definitely continue to be Thor/Loki.

Again, thank you to all of you who've taken the time to click on this story in the first place and leaving such wonderful feedback. ;_;  
Next update might come slow though, since I have three final exams to study for this week _ _||


	6. vi: Pride and Prejudice

vi. Pride and Prejudice

The issue of his confusing relationship with his teacher did not once stop pestering Loki's thoughts through the rest of the weekend. "So much for relaxation," he muttered with a derisive snort as he put a hand to his forehead for the umpteenth time that day.

Maybe he was getting ill. There _was_ a bug going around, and that would explain the constant queasiness in his stomach.

The afterglow of the da- _study session_ was a nice feeling for some time, and Loki had gone to sleep that night with a sense of satisfaction and possibly giddiness. It was when he woke the next Sunday morning that it all crashed down on him like a metaphorical cascade of bricks: They were teacher and student.

Contrary to popular belief, and whatever his grades may say about him, Loki didn't care much for rules. He usually had no problem abiding by them, but also had no problem with breaking them if they did not please him.

And, regarding the rules of proper student and teacher etiquette: There was a perfectly perceptible line between what was acceptable and what was not. Loki was half-certain that he might be in the middle, if not leaning towards the right side of the spectrum.

It gave him chills of terror. _(But sometimes, they were chills of...)_

Sunday was uneventful. Darcy was off in some competition, which left Loki with nothing to do. His mother and stepfather had gallivanted off to another date - it was almost sickening, the way they spent so much time together - and thus left him alone at home. The boredom actually drove him to pull out his seldom-used phone. He was halfway through scrolling his short list of contacts when he realized what he was doing and barked out a laugh.

He ended up surfing the Internet for some time: checking his e-mail, and some silly, insignificant social networking sites that he was only signed up for because Darcy had forced him to. But even then that lost its appeal.

Eventually, he decided to change into a loose grey shirt and some jeans, and stuffed his laptop into a messenger bag. He decided to take his phone with him too, in case Darcy or his parents called, and then began his walk to the fabled bakery.

When arrived, he was pleased to find that there weren't too many people yet. He got a cup of chocolate pudding - his favorite kind - and took a seat at one of the outdoor tables. There was a convenient umbrella that hung overhead.

Loki took his laptop out, making sure not to knock over his precious pudding, and logged on. As he waited, he took a spoonful of pudding.

Pudding, free wi-fi, a pleasant odor - this place, Loki mused, must be the closest thing to heaven he'd ever experience. He decided that he needed to come here more often.

He ran out of pudding a few minutes later and went back inside to get some more. (What? It was his lunch, after all. And it was quite delicious.) On his way back out he ran into two people.

One of which was the bane of his existence, or, more commonly known as, Tony Stark.

"Loki," the older-yet-shorter greeted with that infuriating voice - one that always sounded genuinely pleasant but mocking at the same time. "Wouldn't have thought I'd run into you today, man."

Loki gave him an unimpressed look. He was sure that Stark was purposely following him, but then he saw the taller man standing uneasily beside them. The person had a baseball cap pulled over his head, but there was enough light for Loki to see that it was- "_Mr. Rogers?_"

He heard Stark inhale sharply. "I told you that hat wouldn't be enough cover," the brunet said accusingly. "You should have worn sunglasses too."

"And I told you that going out today would be a bad idea." Yes, it was definitely Mr. Rogers.

Loki had to stop himself from gaping, in fear that his jaw would drop and hit the floor. He said, as calmly as he could, "I'd like to return to my laptop."

"Oh, that was yours?" Stark cast a sideways glance at their history teacher. "Hey, Steve, wasn't there just a kid out there who was fiddling around with it...?"

Loki choked and almost dropped his pudding in his haste to rush outside - out of shock that Stark was calling their history teacher by his first name and fear of losing one of his most precious belongings.

He heard Tony break out into laughter behind him and Steve - no, _Mr. Rogers,_ damn Stark - mutter, "Why are you so difficult?"

There was indeed a kid outside, poking around his laptop with curious eyes. "Didn't your mother teach you not to touch things that aren't yours?" Loki snapped, yanking his laptop from across the table and drawing it near. He probably didn't look very threatening, considering he was still also holding his cup of pudding, but it was enough to spook the kid. Loki watched, frowning, as the bright green and black colored hoodie disappeared around the corner.

He decided to leave then. Maybe he wouldn't be revisiting this place as often as he'd thought.

Especially if it meant he would constantly be running into his proclaimed arch nemesis and his history teacher - because that was just awkward.

He was exhausted when he got home, both his feet and his head aching. He'd eaten his pudding on the way, and he threw the empty cup away before beginning to change into something more comfortable. Then he proceeded to curl up on the couch.

Loki wasn't sure when he began to drift, but eventually he had fallen asleep, tucked comfortably in the corner of the couch, his sore legs stretched out before him.

**. . .**

The kitchen was quiet, like it always was, and the curtains were half-drawn, letting in enough sunshine to make going outside very tempting. There was still some cereal on the counter from where Thor had gotten too lazy to clean up this morning.

The day was too nice to be spent inside. Thor spared the window a wistful glance, then looked back down at the papers strewn around his dining table. His golden retriever, who he had fondly named Balder, padded to his side and he reached down, absently stroking him.

"We'll go outside soon, okay?" he told the dog, scratching him behind the ear. "Just let me put these papers away."

They were lesson plans. He usually wasn't this cluttered, but then again, he also usually didn't have to re-teach his first three marking periods. It had taken him a generous amount of time to dig up the older papers again.

He reached down to pick up his bag, only to pause when he felt a slight weight. A peer inside gave him the answer: A book. More specifically, a book on Norse mythology that belonged to a certain student of his.

"Hm," Thor said, mulling several things over silently. He must have accidentally packed it up with his own papers yesterday. "Ready to go out, boy?" He patted the retriever's head affectionately. He didn't want to ask Sif to watch him again - he already owed her enough favors.

He rose up, stretching the kinks out of his shoulders.

Luckily, he still remembered Loki's address from the previous day.

**. . .**

_"Ah...Mr. Odinson?" Loki waited patiently as his English teacher finished erasing the chalk board. Everyone else was leaving for their lockers, but Loki had some unfinished business to take care of.  
_

_Finally, he garnered Mr. Odinson's attention. The older male glanced at him questioningly, expression bordering annoyed. It looked unnatural on his normally-bright teacher's demeanor, but there was something about it that sent warm shivers down his spine. "Is there something I can do for you, Loki?"  
_

_The test in his hand was creased slightly as his fingers tightened around it. His hand partially covered the glaring F written on the corner. "I wish to speak with you about the test," he said through gritted teeth.  
_

_"I see." Mr. Odinson crossed his arms. "The one you insufficiently studied for?"  
_

_Loki flinched at his bluntness. "Insufficiently!" he scoffed. "While English may not be my favorite subject, I take it seriously and have spent the past few days preparing for this test. I think it might have to do with the fact that you failed to stay consistent with our after school sessions. Therefore, I would like to request a re-test."  
_

_"All grades have been submitted already, Loki," Mr. Odinson said, a hint of disapproval in his tone. He sat down in his chair, fixing some papers into a neat pile. "And, as I've told the class before, all grades are due in an hour, so there is no time to issue a re-test."  
_

_"That's hardly fair!" Loki argued heatedly. "This test was designed for students who took your class - and that includes me, but surely you haven't forgotten that I missed nearly five months of lessons."  
_

_"The final exam," Mr. Odinson began calmly, "was designed to make sure that students had a proficient understanding of what they've been taught this year. In the extra time we had together, I covered every single one of the lessons you missed."  
_

_Loki's fingers curled in even tighter; the test crumpled. "Maybe you didn't teach me well enough. Maybe you-"  
_

_"Come here."  
_

_Loki stared at where his teacher was gesturing for him to walk over.  
_

_He acquiesced.  
_

_"What do you think I can do about this, Loki?" Mr. Odinson asked, standing. Even though they were only a few inches off in height, he seemed to tower over Loki, arms still crossed.  
_

_Refusing to be intimidated, Loki replied, "Let me have a retest."  
_

_"And if I said no?"  
_

_Loki took a step back, only to feel the back of his thighs hit the desk. He stumbled and would have lost his balance if Mr. Odinson hadn't taken hold of his wrist.  
_

_"Well, Loki?" asked his teacher, who was suddenly close enough for Loki to see the specks of darker blue in his cerulean eyes. "What would you do?" _

_Loki met his eyes, feeling the challenge implicated by his teachers words. Forgetting about the open door, the classroom setting, everything else but them, he hopped up to sit on the edge of the desk. "I would convince you," he said simply, and pulled his teacher closer by the collar of his shirt.  
_

_Mr. Odinson met him halfway, taking the final step to closing the distance between them. He planted his hands firmly on either side of Loki, as if to prevent him from escaping. _

_Not that Loki had any plans to. He instead locked his legs around Mr. Odinson's waist and pulled him close. Mr. Odinson made an appreciative noise in the back of his throat when they found that he fit neatly between his student's long legs.  
_

_"Can you keep a secret, sir?" Loki asked, biting his lip and feigning sudden hesitance._

_He never got an answer; his teacher had then put a hand on the back of his neck and leaned in, their lips-  
_

**. . .  
**

Loki bolted up so quickly and violently that he actually tumbled off of the couch and smacked his head against the corner of the coffee table. The sound of the doorbell in the background brought him to the realization that it had been just a dream, and he was back in his own house...with possibly a problem down south.

"Oh, God," he moaned out loud, covering his face in complete mortification; had he actually dreamed that?

Remember what he'd been thinking earlier, about the imaginary line between appropriate and not? Yeah, forget leaning towards the right side of the spectrum. Loki was sure that he was over too far to go back.

(Also, remember when he deemed the bakery the closest thing to heaven he'd ever experience? He might have just found another contender...)

The doorbell shrilled loudly again, and Loki looked to the door in bewilderment. Were his parents finally back?

He tried to tell his frantically beating heart to calm the hell down and his imagination to stop feeding him any more unnecessary scenarios. He ran his hands through his hair, trying to smooth it back. His cheeks felt warm, and he hoped that he wasn't blushing, because thanks to his pale complexion, it always made him look like a tomato.

He had stood up when he caught sight of someone through the small window beside his door - and it wasn't his mom or dad.

No - Loki wasn't that fortunate.

It was Mr. Odinson.

* * *

a/n: Ahhhhhhhhh we passed fifty reviews already holy crap  
Have I mentioned how amazing you guys are? /dies

On another note, I realized halfway through writing this chapter that I'm making so many references that it's not even funny anymore. e u e;;


	7. vii: The Angle of Depression

vii. The Angle of Depression

The dream was already fading rapidly from Loki's mind, but he wouldn't be forgetting how _real_ it had felt anytime soon. And so the first thought that popped into his head when he saw his teacher was: _Is he here to let me have that retest?_

Which, predictably, warranted a bright red blush to appear on his cheeks. _Get yourself together, Loki Laufeyson,_ his mind told him grimly, although it didn't help because the voice sounded oddly like Mr. Odinson. Loki thunked his fist against his forehead and wondered when his fantasies had some much free reign over his thoughts.

Another sharp ring of the doorbell reminded him that the source of his problems(read: _including the one in his pants_) was still standing outside.

Loki looked down at himself, then at the stairway that led upstairs to his room. He bit his lip, contemplating whether he would have time to change - but a green t-shirt and a loose pair of shorts wasn't too bad, right?

Then again, he didn't have to answer at all-

Mr. Odinson seemed to catch sight of him and waved, smiling through the small window.

Well. That didn't leave him with much choice.

Taking a deep breath, he strode to the door and put a hand on the doorknob. _I'll open it just a crack,_ he told himself resolutely, _and tell him I'm busy eating lunch._ He glanced at the clock. _Or maybe an early dinner._

Mr. Odinson was waving something in his hand that looked vaguely like a book, but Loki couldn't tell much more about it from the distance. He braced himself, unlatched the padlock, unlocked the door, and ever so slowly pulled the door open. "Mr. Odinson?" he inquired through a croak, and whoosh, there went his eloquence: His teacher, the same one who had just been in his freaking _fantasy_, was standing there just a few feet away.

He wore an expression that was friendly enough, but it made Loki want to run away. Probably because if the door was knocked open a few more inches, his English teacher would see just how big of an effect he had on his student.

"Good afternoon, Loki," Mr. Odinson greeted jovially. He held the book in one hand, which Loki could now see was a collection of Norse myths. "I apologize for dropping in so suddenly, but I found your book in my things this morning, and-"

-then the door was thrown backwards by the force of a furry golden creature - or, a dog. Loki was toppled ungracefully onto his back and effectively pinned down by the weight. He felt his elbows burn as it scraped painfully against the vestibule's wooden floor.

"Balder!" Mr. Odinson admonished the over-excited animal. "Off!"

Loki was rooted to his spot, unable to find the will to move as he felt something wet and slimy drag up his cheek. It dawned on him, faintly, that he was being licked by a dog, and that billions of germs were being passed on, and oh, god, this was so _unsanitary._

Thankfully, Mr. Odinson managed to cajole "Balder" away from him. Loki was still staring blankly up when he felt himself being helped up by a warm hand around his own.

He flinched at that, skin tingling from the spot of contact.

Mr. Odinson noticed this and appeared apologetic. "I'm sorry, he normally doesn't get this excited." Balder trotted forward and began to take interest in Loki's legs, sniffing them in earnest.

Loki's fingers twitched. He willed Mr. Odinson's gaze to stay above his waist. "Do you require something of me, Mr. Odinson?" His eyes landed on the book, which had fallen to the ground when Mr. Odinson became preoccupied with holding Balder back. "Is that mine?"

"Yes. I must have accidentally packed it with my things yesterday. I came to return it."

Loki nodded and knelt down to pick it up, mindful of the big golden retriever that was still sniffing around his toes. He had grabbed the book by the corner and was moving to straighten, but apparently he wasn't fast enough; Balder chose that moment to turn and lick a large, wet stripe up Loki's face.

"Wh-What-" There was dog drool _everywhere._ God, this was why Loki liked cats better.

"Balder!" Thor said sternly, but his voice suggested that he was trying hard not to laugh. "I think he is fond of you, Loki."

No, _really_?

Balder was panting happily in Loki's face, which made the latter recoil from the stinking breath. Loki stood rigidly to his feet, grabbing the hem of his shirt and wiping it across his face. _How utterly disgusting, _he seethed silently. If it chose to start peeing in their front yard, there was no telling what Loki would do.

"I should have left you at home," he heard Mr. Odinson tell the dog. When Loki's vision was saliva-free once again, he saw that his teacher was rubbing Balder affectionately behind the ears.

"Should have left him at the _dog kennel,_" Loki mumbled, looking disdainfully down at his ruined shirt. It had been one of his favorites, too.

"What was that?" Mr. Odinson glanced absently back at him.

"Nothing." He ran his fingers through his hair, unable to stop eyeing the dog resentfully. "Was that all you came for?" Oh, now his elbow was starting to bleed. Lovely.

Unfortunately, Mr. Odinson also noticed this. He gestured at it, frowning, and asked, "Did Balder do that?"

Loki resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, but it's just a scratch. It will heal." He made as if to close the door, but was stopped when his teacher wedged a foot between the door and the doorway. He tried not to sound too impatient(and irritated): "What?"

"I have a first aid kit in my car," Mr. Odinson said, clearly worried over a meager injury.

"It's nothing," Loki tried to protest, but it was half-hearted; he was already being led towards the black Jeep parked beside the curb. The ground was warm beneath his bare feet from being exposed to the sun all day.

Mr. Odinson propped the passenger door open and directed Loki to sit while he went to get the kit. Balder clamored around Loki's legs again, prodding with his nose persistently here and there. Loki almost kicked him away - out of reflex, that is. He was ticklish with his feet.

"I also had a first aid kit, you know," he said pointedly when Mr. Odinson came back with the red and white pack.

"As your teacher and the fact that Balder is my dog, I take responsibility for this." The older man took out a container of antiseptic and a cloth, then reached for Loki's arm. Loki grudgingly let him take it.

The cut was actually worse than he'd initially thought. A small patch of skin had been forced back, and blood was starting to trickle out in a grotesque scene. Loki winced; he had always been queasy around blood.

Mr. Odinson knelt and poured some of the antiseptic onto the cloth, then began to dab carefully at the wound. Loki found himself gripping the car seat tightly, biting back a hiss as the elbow burned even more.

"Do you always get injured this easily?" Mr. Odinson spoke up a few seconds later. It sounded like an innocent question.

"Do you always overreact to every little cut and bruise your students sustain?" Loki countered.

"Only the ones that matter."

Loki blinked and stared at him, but Mr. Odinson's was bowed and golden strands fell over the sides of his face, preventing Loki from making eye contact. The wound was dried, then Mr. Odinson reached into the kit again.

Balder barked and wagged his tail happily.

"I suppose I should feel honored," Loki muttered, and he thought he saw a hint of a smile on his teacher's face.

He watched as Mr. Odinson spread a band-aid meticulously over the wound, noticing for the first time how the size of their hands differed. Granted, there was an age difference, but it didn't stop Loki from feeling almost fragile next to his teacher. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Mr. Odinson smiled up at him, patting his arm. "I will try to restrain Balder next time." Then he closed up the first aid kit and tossed it over the passenger's seat. Loki heard it clatter somewhere behind him.

_I will try to restrain Balder next time._ There would be a next time?

His teacher stood and stepped back. "I'll see you in class on Tuesday, then."

Loki nodded and wordlessly climbed down from the seat. Once he was off, Balder clamored to get on, making him stumble forward and almost pitch into his teacher's chest.

(Has he ever mentioned how much he disliked dogs?)

Mr. Odinson steadied him by the shoulders, laughing. "Careful, we don't want you getting another injury," he said, eyes twinkling.

He remembered how Mr. Odinson had treated him with a gentleness that he never would have thought he possessed, and bits of the dream resurfaced in his mind.

Before his imagination could begin to run wild and his lower half get any ideas, he pulled away and managed to smile back. "If you'll excuse me now, my parents are most likely wondering where I am..."

Mr. Odinson's eyes flickered to something behind him briefly, and he opened his mouth to point something out - maybe the fact that the driveway was empty - but he only said, "Remember to keep reading."

Loki exhaled in relief. "I will, sir."

"Good." Mr. Odinson raised an arm in a wave goodbye and walked around to the other side of his car. Loki watched as his teacher began to pull away from the curb. Before the car completely pulled away, though, one of the windows opened, and Balder's head stuck out. It happened too quickly: The dog licked Loki's face again, and then the car accelerated, leaving Loki standing there on the sidewalk, trying to blink away the saliva from his eyes.

In the distance, he thought he heard Mr. Odinson laughing.

As he wiped his face of drool for the second time that day, Loki couldn't find the heart to resent his teacher. He glanced at his elbow, smiled softly, and turned to go back inside.

**. . .**

It was nine o'clock when his parents came in through the front door. Loki was already sitting in the dining room eating the dinner he'd been forced to cook by himself.

He saw his stepmother press a kiss to his father's cheek, giggle, and start heading upstairs. Loki averted his eyes to his food, irked by the display of affection.

"We brought food, but I see that you've already eaten." His father, from whom he'd gotten his jet black hair from, placed a plastic bag onto the table.

"I was hungry."

"At least it looks like they're teaching you something useful in school."

Loki didn't bother telling him that he'd learned to cook via the internet.

"Your mother called, by the way."

The comment, made so casually, made Loki drop his fork. He picked it back up and tapped it slightly against the plate. "What did she say?" he queried, suddenly feeling antsy.

"She wants you to stay at her house next weekend," his father replied. "Apparently, you have a stepbrother now."

Loki froze, staring up at his father in bewilderment. "...What?"

"Do you remember the man she's been...seeing?"

The mood of the conversation was starting to turn sour already. Or maybe it already had, from the moment his mother was mentioned. "Yes." Loki recalled little about the man, in truth.

"He proposed to her yesterday, and so his son is technically going to become your step-brother in a few months." His father looked unaffected by this. (Then again, he and his wife had an estranged relationship. Loki sometimes considered himself to be the last, very thin thread that prevented them from completely cutting each other off.)

"Oh." Loki paused. "I don't see why I should have to meet him, though."

"She mentioned something about it bringing you closer to her." His father gave an ungraceful snort, retreating to the kitchen to fetch a drink. "I already said you'd be coming. Just indulge her, Loki."

Loki stood up from the table silently and picked up his plate. Suddenly, he wasn't very hungry any more. He delivered them to the sink and promptly went upstairs to his room.

That night, he slept with uneasiness heavy on his mind, although it quickly dissipated when dreams of a familiar classroom scenario took over.

* * *

a/n:

slower/shorter update than usual, but the plot thickens!

Every time I update, I always feel like I have to thank you guys. Seriously, I can't express how much I appreciate the support and being able to know that I have at least part of their characters down. Thank you a million times and then some more. ;A;


	8. viii: The Law of Universal Gravitation

viii. The Law of Universal Gravitation

_"Loki." Mr. Odinson sounded wary and weary. "If you do not go now, you'll miss your bus."_

_"I don't ride the bus," was the simple reply. Loki lifted his head from where he was picking up bits of paper from the floor - they had done some cutting in class that day. He smiled guilelessly. "Besides, aren't you always telling us to be mindful of the custodians?"  
_

_His teacher was on the other side of the room, also picking up pieces of paper. "What do you really want, Loki?" he asked. "Surely there's must be a reason as to why you've been the last student to leave my classroom in the past week or so."  
_

_Okay, so he got the hints.  
_

_Loki made a big show of straightening, barely concealing a self-satisfied smile. "Maybe I just wanted to spend some more time with my favorite teacher?"  
_

_What had become of their previous meeting mustn't have been an accident, or something spur of the moment that was meant to be forgotten. Loki didn't want to forget; he _couldn't _forget._

_Surely his teacher felt the same way?  
_

_The last bell of the day sounded, which was a signal that the buses were beginning to pull out of the parking lot. Everyone who didn't ride the bus home was most likely in the front lobby, waiting to be picked up. The teachers were all probably heading to the after-school conference. (How Loki knew? He casually checked the school calendar every morning, of course.)  
_

_In other words, they were alone.  
_

_"Really," Mr. Odinson said, looking as unconvinced as he sounded. There was something in his tone that had changed, though. His shoulders were visibly less tense. He crumpled the pieces of paper into a small ball, then turned and tossed it into the trash can. _

_With his attention momentarily diverted, Loki perched himself on the desk of the seat directly in front of the teacher. "Oh, really," the raven-haired enthused. "I've never been a big fan of Shakespeare before, but when _you're_ teaching it..." _

_Mr. Odinson raised an eyebrow. He moved to cross his arms and Loki could see the muscle bulging underneath the button-up.  
_

_He licked his lips, not bothering with subtlety. "You can read me as much Shakespeare as you want to, Mr. Odinson," he said with a sugarcoated smile. Hopping off the desk, he took a step towards the older man-  
_

_-only to be grabbed roughly by the shoulders, spun, and shoved against the door, which inevitably slammed shut behind him. Loki shivered at the sudden contact, although he wasn't entirely minding the situation.  
_

_"Testy," he murmured, fingers curling around a broad shoulder.  
_

_"You seemed to be asking for it," Mr. Odinson answered huskily. His cerulean eyes were darker than usual, Loki noticed, but he didn't have much time to think about it before his mouth had been captured in a rough kiss.  
_

_"You weren't - ah - paying attention to me all week." He gave an appreciative sigh as the attention was moved to his neck. The harsh nips against delicate skin made him arch towards the bigger body currently trapping him against the door.  
_

_A hand was placed on his thigh, almost burning to the touch, and then Loki's leg was being forced to wrap around a muscular waist. "I needed to think about last time," was Mr. Odinson's answer.  
_

_"I see you were able to reach a decision," Loki said, pleased. He tangled his fingers in golden strands of hair and leaned down to initiate another bruising kiss.  
_

_Everything was suddenly too hot. Loki mewled against the fingers that were hiking his shirt up, exposing his chest to the cool air. The kiss was shortly broken as Loki slipped the shirt off. A few seconds later, his teacher's joined it, crumpling somewhere on the floor.  
_

_"Hurry," he mumbled, because the others were surely going to realize soon that they were missing a teacher from the conference. "We have to-" Loki cut himself off with a barely stifled moan when he felt a hand starting to undo the buttons on his pants. He tightened his grip on Mr. Odinson's hair and rocked forward, his hips rolling into the other man's and bring sweet, sweet friction.  
_

_"Do not test my restraints," Mr. Odinson all but growled, surging forward and shoving him back into the wall.  
_

_"I'm not made of glass," Loki retorted, and repeated the motion. It was the last straw; the hand at his pants finally succeeded and then he was being briefly lowered so they could be tugged off his legs along with his underwear, and then-  
_

**. . .  
**

"Hey. Earth to Loki, this is commander Darcy trying to establish connection.

And then he was not in the fantasy classroom, but in the cafeteria. In reality. A french fry hit his cheek and Loki turned to glare at his best friend. "What?"

"I have been holding this cup of pudding under your nose for the past ten minutes," Darcy said, waving said cup of pudding around, "and you haven't chomped it out of my hand, went berserk, or both."

Loki snatched it away from her, then dipped his spoon into it sulkily and took a bite.

"Okay, so something happened over the weekend," Darcy guessed. She adjusted her glasses and pretended to straighten in the best impersonation of a therapist that she could do. She pushed her tray away in favor of opening a notebook and starting to right. "What happened with your mom?"

Oh, right. She still thought he visited his mom over the weekend. Loki took another spoonful of pudding. "It was okay," he said, trying to stay as vague as possible. "I didn't stay long. She asked if I could stay over again, next weekend." He churned the pudding with the spoon, distantly aware of how hard he was gripping the utensil. He slackened his grip and mentally apologized to it. It wasn't the spoon's fault his life utterly sucked.

Darcy nodded and scribbled something down. "And Mr. Odinson?" she continued, and did a poor job of concealing the vicious grin behind her notebook.

Loki groaned and almost slammed his face into pudding. When the whole morning went without a mention of his _study session,_ he was starting to hope that Darcy might have forgotten. But of course not. She had simply saved it for when she had forty-three whole minutes to torture him.

"We got things done," he said.

The grin widened to the point where Loki was surprised it didn't split Darcy's face. "Uh huh. Did something happen there, too? Is that why you've been quiet all day?"

"I thought I was quiet all day every day."

"No, usually you break your silence to quip witty remarks. Which you haven't done today, at all."

"Oh." Was that what other people expected from him? Not bad. "I just didn't get much sleep."

"Because you were so preoccupied with thoughts about your date with a super hot guy?" Darcy fanned herself, chuckling uncontrollably. "God, I wish I didn't leave so soon. I wanna know how the sexing went down afterwa-"

"_Darcy!_" Loki hissed, jabbing her harshly in the side. (Forget the 'guys-shouldn't-hit-girls' rule.) "Will you _stop it_? Nothing happened."

"Oh, but you wish something did, didn't you!" Darcy was laughing unabashedly. She tweaked Loki's cheek, ignoring the snarl that that earned her. "Don't worry, I don't blame you. Like, half of the female population and maybe even some of the guys at this school has the hots for him, too."

"I do not have the-"

"He never really notices the others, though. Now that I think about it, you're the only one he's paid any extra attention to." Darcy sobered up at her own revelation. "Lucky bitch."

Loki rubbed his forehead with an aggravated sigh. "For the hundredth time, shut up. Or I won't help you study for the history test."

"Okay, okay." Darcy pouted and returned to her scribbling, allowing their little lunch table a short period of silence.

"What are you writing?" Loki spoke up, trying to peer over Darcy's shoulder. "Did you forget to do your homework again?"

"No." The smile was back on Darcy's face. She held the notebook out for Loki to see, and the latter choked on his own spit when he saw the two crudely drawn stick figures. "I drew you and Mr. O together."

"What the _fuck,_ Darcy-" Dare he ask what that line sticking out of his legs was supposed to represent. "You don't go doodling obscene things in your notebook, didn't your parents tell you th-"

"Hey, Laufeyson."

Loki actually almost shrieked, then slapped the notebook violently out of Darcy's hands. It skittered somewhere under the table.

Darcy, looking offended, opened her mouth to protest, but Loki shut her up with a glower. Then he turned to the newcomer, not bothering for pleasantries, and snapped, "What?"

It was Stark standing there. Of course, Loki thought. Could the period be ruined any more?

Apparently, yes, because the next thing that came out of Stark's infuriating mouth was: "Go out with me."

Darcy went into a coughing fit beside him.

Loki blinked, searching the older student's face for any twitching, any signs of a joke. "Excuse me?" he said.

"Go out with me," Stark repeated, looking as casual as can be. "Y'know, as in, date me? Be my boyfriend?"

"No," Loki said bluntly. He took another bite of his pudding, although it was a little harder to swallow now.

Then Tony Stark leaned over the table and kissed him.

It was short and sweet (_and vile and bitter and disgusting,_ Loki continued silently), and when Tony pulled away, he cocked his head and said, "How about now?"

Loki's cheeks flushed red. "No!" he shrilled again, voice rising an octave. He put a hand up and shoved Tony's incorrigible face away. "Go away before I vomit down your expensive-looking shirt!"

Tony only grinned, before _jumping onto the table._

Loki barely managed to save his pudding.

"Everyone look over here," Tony said loudly, putting his arms wide out.

If they didn't before, they certainly had everyone's attention now. Loki tugged sharply on a leg of Tony's pants. "Stop it!"

Darcy was muttering something fervently to herself.

On the other side of the cafeteria, along with the other teachers that were on monitor duty that day, Mr. Odinson was also watching.

"I, Tony Stark, am one of the most, if not _the _most, sexiest people here, right?" To Loki's astonishment, there was actually a response. Majority of the cafeteria clapped and cheered in agreement, even the guys. "And anyone who would refuse me is a total idiot, right?" More applause.

Realizing where this was going, Loki stood up, grabbed Tony's wrist, and yanked. "Get down right now, Stark, or I swear to everything holy that I will find a way to sneak into your room at night with a bottle of acid and _burn your face."_

"Ooh," Tony said with a laugh, refusing to move. "Sneaking into my room? That's kind of kinky."

"You know I didn't mean it li-"

"Tony Stark, get down from there."

Ah, it was Mr. Rogers to the rescue. Loki released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, silently thanking the history teacher a thousand times over. When Tony didn't seem to hear him, too busy relishing his crowd, Mr. Rogers grabbed his wrist and pulled him down forcibly.

"I'm sorry about him," Mr. Rogers said shortly as Tony jumped off the table.

"No, he's really not," Tony put in.

Loki didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything at all, dumbstruck in silence. He watched as the other student was led out of the cafeteria by a terrifyingly calm Mr. Rogers. Loki wasn't sure if it was just his imagination or not, but for a second, he thought Tony looked back and mouthed, _'Thank you.'_

When everyone seemed to lose interest and return to their lunches, Loki touched his mouth, then turned to Darcy. "What just happened?"

Darcy had apparently retrieved the notebook and was erasing it furiously. "Not sure," she answered, some amusement evident in her voice.

Still quite stunned, Loki only nodded and put down his pudding. "What are you doing now?"

"Changing Mr. O to Stark."

* * *

a/n: ahhh I love Darcy xD

I think this story might move up to an M-rating soon, lol. Loki is quite imaginative. :x

Also! I just noticed we're almost at a hundred reviews, oh my goodness. I think I might do something for the one hundredth reviewer, like write them a oneshot or something like that, but we actually have to get there first. xD

Thanks everyone omg 3


	9. ix: The Bells

ix. The Bells

The students all seemed to continue eating, as if the spectacle hadn't happened in the first place, but Thor couldn't keep his eyes from wandering over to where Tony had begun the commotion.

It was Loki's table, and he realized that with a strange churning in the pit of the stomach - something he decided to brush off as worry. In all actuality, he wasn't sure what it was.

Tony Stark looked awfully smug as he walked past, led by an irritated-yet-exasperated-looking Steve, though Thor sensed that the smugness wasn't directed at Loki. Rather, it looked like it was directed at Steve.

Thor sighed and leaned a little more heavily on the wall. Tony was definitely a handful, and he knew that from experience. He couldn't recall a class period when he wasn't interrupted at least once, mid-lecture. Usually Tony did it to quip something witty about the lesson - others, it was just to gain attention.

Needless to say, Thor wasn't that fond of Tony. He would say he even resented him, but he liked to keep the relationships he had with his students strictly ambiguous. (Occasionally - okay, in _several_ cases - he was biased, but let's digress.)

As he became fast friends with Steve, bonding over some of the technological complications in the modern world, he learned that the history teacher hadn't liked Tony at first, either. Then apparently, he saved Steve's laptop from succumbing to a virus after he accidentally opened some e-mail spam, and they became acquaintances-bordering-actual-friends, despite the fact that Steve taught an eleventh grade subject and Tony had only been a freshman then.

Now he wasn't sure exactly _what_ was going on between them, but from the frustrated rants Steve often broke into, he guessed it wasn't all peaches anymore.

(And was that the correct phrase? Thor didn't understand these new idioms. When he was young, it was either "all right" or "not all right" or, when in extreme enthusiasm, "radical." He would have preferred to say those instead. What did _peaches_ have to do with one's current state?)

Anyway. He wasn't sure where his fellow teacher and student had gone off to, and he might have followed them, but there was something else.

Loki's back was turned to him; Thor couldn't stop looking, curiosity nagging at his mind. He wanted to know what that whole debacle with Tony had been about.

A few minutes later, he saw the dark-haired student rise to clear his tray. "Throw that away," he thought he heard him say to Darcy. A notebook was passed between them. That only fed Thor's curiosity.

There seemed to be a short argument, before Loki turned and began striding to the trash can. The closest one happened to be a few feet from Thor's side; he restrained himself from saying anything to the student.

His resolve stayed solid until the period ended, and everyone was filing out of the cafeteria for their lockers. Loki and Darcy were one of the last to leave, apparently still fighting over the mysterious notebook. When Loki walked past him, he deigned to speak: "Is Tony harassing you?"

Loki seemed to jump, already pink cheeks flustering even more. "What?" he asked as Darcy clapped him on the shoulder, with an almost exaggerated sympathy, and left.

"Since he stood on your table, I assumed he did it because of you." The cafeteria was empty now, the lunch ladies retreating to the back to prepare for the next lunch period, the aides nowhere insight.

"How do you know it wasn't because of Darcy?"

"I've heard they do not get along very well."

Loki looked incredibly frustrated. Thor wasn't sure why the student was so worked up, but it was entertaining to see his face in an unnatural red shade. "I'm going back to my table now."

"No, wait." The words tumbled out of Thor's mouth before he could stop himself. Loki's attention was on him now, and he cursed himself for not thinking first. It really was a bad habit. "You didn't answer my question."

He was worried, that was all. He simply cared for his students, and he genuinely liked Loki; the intelligent conversations they had were a refreshing change to the ones he had with other students. Before Loki started attending his class, there wasn't much to look forward to in the day; now, Thor found himself eagerly anticipating ninth period and giving just a little bit more effort in that particular class.

He cared. That was all.

"About Stark?" Thor nodded. "He's done other things that warrant more stupidity than this, believe me." Despite the wit in his voice that always seemed to be present, he appeared...uncertain.

"That's a little hard to believe, after what I saw," Thor conceded. He couldn't tell if the younger was lying, and he had a feeling Loki would be offended if he pointed this out.

"Yes, well, that imbecile is full of surprises." Loki shifted, eyes flickering to something behind Thor, only to lock gazes again. "Is that all you wanted to see me for?"

"How is your elbow?"

"It's better."

"Good."

Loki's hand came up to touch his own elbow, putting a finger on the band aid that was still there. Thor figured he had probably replaced it. "I need to get to class." It looked like Loki was about to walk away, so Thor acted on impulse again and took his wrist.

He would surely regret this later.

Loki glanced down at his hand, then back up. His face was impassive; Thor couldn't tell if he was surprised, confused, offended, or all of the above.

The next few events happened in sort of a blur. Thor wasn't sure if he was the first to lean in or if it was Loki, or maybe they both did at the same time, but either way, something happened and then their lips were pressed together in possibly one of the best things that's ever happened in Thor's life.

(Not to sound too cliche or anything. But it kind of was.)

It was short. Loki was the first to pull away, but still stayed close enough for Thor to see every fleck of green and gold in the other's eyes.

Loki was also the first to break the silence. "Okay," he said, voice sounding forced, and he did step back this time, looking as young and vulnerable as Thor had never seen him before.

"Okay," Thor murmured in assent. He wasn't sure exactly what was _okay_.

Loki walked out of the cafeteria and Thor wondered if he'd really gone and fucked things up this time.

**. . .**

Loki was never more happy to have a dentist appointment before. He left fifteen minutes into eighth period, lying to all of Darcy's incessant questioning, telling her that Mr. Odinson was simply asking about Tony.

"Hm," Darcy had said thoughtfully, "maybe he ships you two."

Unsure of what that meant and not wanting to know, Loki didn't ask.

Presently, he was in the back seat of his father's car. The passenger's seat was empty, but he never liked being too close to his father.

"I'm thinking of getting you a car," Laufey spoke, eyes flickering over to look at his son through the rearview mirror.

Loki glanced back disinterestedly. "I've never needed one before." His thoughts were preoccupied with something far more important than a car. Besides, he liked walking.

"Don't you get tired of walking?" They were pulling into the parking lot now.

"No."

"I just thought it would be easier for you." Laufey found a parking space somewhere relatively close to the building's entrance. "I'm working next weekend, so instead of your mother coming to pick you up, I thought you could drive yourself."

Loki had gotten his license a year before, back when he actually did want a car. But that was before he found out that his mother was already seeing another man. When his father told him that she was getting married, it pummeled the last bits of hope he had of having a regular family into the ground.

Whatever, he told himself. He was growing up okay and would continue to do so.

(_Are you? Will you?_)

"Do whatever you want," he told Laufey, and climbed out of the car before the engine was even turned off.

**. . .**

_To: Loki Laufeyson  
From: [Unknown Number]  
Can we talk?_

To: [Unknown Number]  
From: Loki  
Who is this?

_To: Loki Laufeyson  
From: [Unknown Number]  
does it matter?_

To: [Unknown Number]  
From: Loki  
Did you change numbers, Darcy?

_To: Loki Laufeyson  
From: [Unknown Number]  
uhhh okay so I'm gonna totally ignore the fact that you just thught I'm a girl_

_To: Loki Laufeyson  
From: [Unknown Number]  
*thought  
_

_To: Loki Laufeyson  
From: [Unknown Number]  
meet me in front of the library  
_

_To: [Unknown Number]  
From: Loki  
No. I suggest you stop texting me. Where did you get my number, anyway?__  
_

_To: Loki Laufeyson  
From: [Unknown Number]  
can't answer you and stop texting you at the same time, babe. Just meet me there, I'll buy some pudding for you from that place you like  
_

_To: Loki Laufeyson  
From: Stark  
5'clock sharp, k?  
_

**. . .**

Loki wasn't sure what possessed him to go. As soon as he realized who the unknown number was, he should have - and wanted to - delete the text messages, block the number, and change his own just for good measure. He had a feeling Tony would find a way around that, though. This was the same guy who single-handedly rigged every teacher's laptop to pop up with a picture of him for his birthday, the guy who was supposedly two years advanced in his engineering courses.

He also considered not going at all. God knew there was a lot to think about. Tony was only going to make his headache (the one he knew he would have the next morning) worse.

The library was relatively private, which meant Tony wouldn't try to pull anything - no, he tended to only do that when he had a bigger audience.

There would be pudding.

There would also be the chance to give him a good punch across the face.

At four-thirty, he was back home. At four-fifty, he got ready to meet Tony, prepared with a cellphone in case help would be needed. At five, he made it four steps to the door, decided he couldn't do it, and went upstairs to change. At five-fifteen, after contemplating, muttering to himself, then contemplating some more, he changed again and headed out.

When he arrived at the library, there was the infamous Tony Stark, sitting on the front steps with a take-out container and a spoon. In his hands was a book, and he didn't notice Loki until the latter stopped in front of him and cleared his throat.

"You're late," he said, flipping a page. Then he looked up to Loki with an accusing look. "I thought you were the punctual type."

"I doubt you know anything about me, Stark," Loki said.

"Well, I know you like pudding. Which, by the way, is right here, as was the bargain. Sit down, I'm not gonna eat you or anything."

So Loki did, a good foot away from his side. He took the container of pudding into his hands, then looked over to the other boy, trying to decide what to say.

"Eat up," Tony said, gesturing to the spoon. "Since you were late, I took the liberty of eating early. Pudding is indeed fantastic, as I found out today. I completely understand why you're so infatuated with it." He turned back to his book.

"What is this about, Stark?" Loki asked. He was tired of the lack of answers and beginning to regret not staying home after all. "And how did you get my number?"

"I have a name, you know," Tony said, sounding miffed. "And it took some effort in finding out your number; apparently, not a lot of people have it. In the end, I finally got it from your friend Darcy."

That _traitor_. "Besides eating pudding and," Loki leaned over, finally sneaking a glance at exactly what Tony was reading, "looking at pictures of _cats_, what did you want to meet me here for?"

"What, do you have a problem against cats?" Tony looked offended on some level, looking to Loki sharply. He held up the book, where there was a picture of a tabby cat pawing with some yarn. "I thought you liked cats."

"I thought you didn't care," Loki said bluntly.

"Darcy told me a lot of things. Whether I wanted to hear them or not, I may never be sure."

Loki decided that he was going to throttle Darcy later. "Answer my question, Stark."

"Call me Tony first."

"_No._" Loki stood up, the pudding almost oozing out from the container with how tightly he was gripping it. "For some reason, I actually thought that this conversation would have some level of maturity, but I guess I severely overestimated your competence. Goodbye."

"Okay, jeez! Don't leave." Tony shut the book and put it aside, flinging his hands into the air. "We'll talk."

Loki frowned at him but did sit down again, this time with more caution than before. He glanced at the sky, trying to gauge the time, and waited for Tony to start talking.

"I just wanted to say tell you I'm sorry about what happened at the cafeteria," Tony said, uttering one of the many things that Loki thought he would never live to hear spill forth from his mouth. "I was going to tell you at the end of the day, but you weren't there."

"I had an appointment," Loki said evenly, barely managing to keep a calm voice. "As for the apology, I will gladly forgive you if swear on your life to never speak to me again."

"Do you really hate me that much?" Tony asked with an infuriating pout. "I think you're trying to be the cause of my death. You are, admittedly, one of the miniscule number of people I admire."

"Right," Loki drawled. "And I'm a Norse god."

"I also wanted to thank you." And there was another one of the many sentences Loki would never have expected from Tony. He feared he was actually starting to feel some sort of respect for the other boy.

"For _what_?"

"For putting up with me that long. It's been, what? A year? A year you've gone-"

Loki muttered darkly, "More than that."

"-without doing anything serious against me. You played the part of my blushing love interest quite perfectly, if I may say so."

Yeah, about that respect? Back down to zero. "I don't know whether to hit you, leave, or both."

"Neither."

"You have ten seconds to convince me."

"Ooh, kinky." Tony only laughed when Loki elbowed him sharply. "I was trying to accomplish something indirectly, and I thought you would last the longest without eventually cracking and filing a restraining order against me."

Loki raised an eyebrow. "In other words, you used me?"

"It sounds mean when you put it that way." As if the general idea itself wasn't? "I don't mean offense, by the way. You're actually exceptionally attractive, which just made it easier for my part."

"And what," Loki was fighting to ignore the red tint on his cheeks, "was that part, exactly?"

Tony shifted closer at this point, an action which Loki reacted to by freezing. "I was trying to elicit a reaction from someone else," he said, lowering his voice.

Everything clicked into place then: Why Loki had run into Tony and Mr. Rogers at the bakery, why Tony was paying him so much attention, why he had looked so pleased with himself earlier that day in the cafeteria.

"You and Mr. Rogers," Loki began, suddenly inarticulate, because here he was, discovering that there was possibly someone else who shared his situation with Mr. Odinson, "are..."

Tony grinned, all teeth, and pulled the collar of his shirt back, revealing a small bruise near his collarbone. A hickey. "He was really angry," he said, amused.

"So you used me," Loki repeated.

"Are you getting angry too? Please don't get angry." He put a hand on Loki's shoulder. "You probably think I'm out to make your life a living hell, but in another life, where I didn't have perfection-personified Steve Rogers, I would have consider dating you."

"In another life, I might have been a toad," Loki deadpanned. "And can you not call our history teacher by his first name when you're around me?"

"Way to ruin a moment." Tony sighed in feigned disappointment, drawing his hand back. "Look, what I'm trying to say is, not all of it was fake, so if you like to think about it that way, you can at least have the comforting thought that I think you're a decent human being. I will now end this kind-of awkward thought by bidding you good luck with you endeavors with Mr. Odinson, and then elegantly make my exit." He stood.

"Wait- What about Mr. Odinson?" The remark sent Loki's heart suddenly racing in fear. Maybe he hadn't meant it like that, Loki tried to comfort himself. Maybe he was just overreacting.

"Uh, yeah." Tony made a vague hand gesture. "You know, I originally wanted to get close to you so I could find out whether you were secretly with Thor, because Steve was freaking out about, you know, our relationship. I thought that if I could assure him that maybe it wasn't just us, he'd be a little more confident. But then I learned from Steve, who asked Thor, that you two weren't. That's when I switched tactics and decided just to make him jealous."

He spoke about it a little too easily, as if it was a regular topic one might discuss over the lunch table. Loki whipped his head around, making sure no one else was close enough to overhear. "And?" he prompted, throat suddenly very dry.

"After school, I stopped by Steve's room to see him, but when I walked in, Thor was already there. Then everything kind of came out from them, and I found out that you kissed Thor today. Steve was definitely relieved that at least we weren't the only ones any more, so I decided that an apology for you was due."

Loki gaped at him - he knew? And since when was he on a first name basis with the teachers?

"We four are the only ones that know, though, with the possibility of also Darcy. So your secret's safe with us, no matter if you do end up with Thor or not." Tony shrugged, before adding mildly, "At least, as long as I know _my_ secret's safe with you."

Loki's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you threatening me?"

"Seriously, why do you have to make me sound meaner than I am? I am simply making a deal."

Was it still considered a deal when the other had no choice? "I will keep my mouth shut," Loki conceded, speaking through gritted teeth. Leave it to Tony Stark to be complimenting him one second, then blackmailing him the next.

"Good." Then Tony was suddenly all smiles again, taking Loki's hand and forcing a handshake. "This has been the most pleasant of talks, but I unfortunately have a guest visiting my house in a few minutes."

Loki did not want to know who that was. "All right," he said, not sure what else to say. The past fifteen minutes seemed so surreal; had they really just have a conversation about...

"Do you need a ride?"

"No, I can walk."

Tony quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing against it. "Okay. See you tomorrow, then." He began walking to where his car was parked. "And remember!" he called back, just before getting in. "Not a single soul!" Then he pressed two fingers to his lips, pretended to blow a kiss, got in, and pulled away from the curb.

Loki had to force himself to get up. _As if I didn't have enough on my mind,_ he bemoaned silently.

He had begun walking in the direction of his house when he realized that Tony had left his book about cats.

Well. The library was closed now, and Stark was long gone.

He picked up the book and resumed walking.

He did like cats.

* * *

a/n: Holy crap this was long; at least we got some plot done!  
I'm also thinking of making a story cover, because a leaf on the ground has nothing to do with this story. o_o;; But considering my lack of artistic ability, it may take a while - just a fair warning in case you suddenly see that icon turn into a second grader's drawing. xD

Just one more thing left to say in this note: I'm incredibly sorry for anyone out there who keeps getting updates from me in the middle of the night. It's currently 12 am as I'm finishing and uploading this, and I'm trying to break this habit of nocturnal updating (?) but asdkl;fajs


	10. x: An Infinitude of Primes

a/n: Please note that **the story's rating has been moved up to M. If you're not comfortable with such content, you should probably skip this first part in italics. **o u o;;

* * *

x. An Infinitude of Primes

_A large, calloused hand ran over his bare chest, leaving skin tingling in its wake. A moan erupted from Loki's mouth, loud, unrestrained, as he was shoved into a shelf of books. He arched his back as his teacher became impossibly close, the larger body pinning his smaller own against the shelf.  
_

_"Oh," he uttered, too breathless to be considered a sigh and too breathy for a keen. His hair stuck to the back of his neck in a sweaty tangle and his fingers scrambled for purchase among the books. "Oh, _oh_." _

_"Say my name." The hands holding up his thighs tightened, promising bruises that were sure to show the next day.  
_

_Loki made no hesitation to comply. "Thor," he mewled, pressing himself back down just as he felt the other man's hips jerk up. More incoherent words escaped his lips, pleas and demands for _more_, yet Thor's pace remained steady. "I'm not made of glass," he finally managed, and sunk his teeth into the nape of Thor's neck._

_The result was nearly instantaneous; Thor's hips stuttered once, twice, before there was a low growl in his ear and the pace became almost brutally hard, so fast and so _good.

_A coil in his stomach snapped undone and Loki opened his mouth to scream-_

**. . .  
**

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
sick so i cant come 2 school today, get the hw for me please?_

To: Unable to spell correctly  
From: Loki  
Oh, what great news to start my day with.

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
:( just get the hw or i'll purposely sneeze on u and infect u with my germs_

To: Unable to spell correctly  
From: Loki  
You wouldn't.

_To: Bitch_  
_From: Darcy_  
_TRY ME_

**. . .  
**

Loki didn't notice the car keys sitting innocently on the kitchen counter until after he took a nice and long cold shower, changed, then went downstairs. At first he thought that Laufey had forgotten to put his own keys away, but then he checked the master bedroom and found both him and his stepmother absent. (Like usual.)

He sipped at his mug of cocoa, eyeing the keys warily.

"Didn't I tell him that I don't need one?" he said conversationally to the mug, and then finished up the rest of the drink.

The curtains were partially opened, and when Loki turned, he could catch a glimpse of the new car in the driveway. Cars never really interested him before, whereas there were others in his grade who seemed utterly obsessed with them, so he couldn't tell anything past the points that it was silver and looked to be a convertible.

Figuring that he had to leave some time, he finally deigned to hop off the stool, grab the keys, and head outside. He slung his backpack into the passenger's seat before climbing in.

It wasn't like he hadn't driven before - he did have his license and sometimes drove his father's car - but it still felt foreign. He slid the key into the slot and felt the engine come to life.

Well. At least he wouldn't have to wake up so early every morning.

The moment he entered the school parking lot, he could already feel eyes on him. Loki refused to look around, instead focusing on finding a parking space somewhere relatively close to the front. When he put the car in park and climbed out, he could feel even _more_ eyes on him, which he figured made it More-Than-Ten-People-Looked-At-Loki-Laufeyson-At-A-Time Day.

It was somewhat satisfying, but mostly uncomfortable. And annoying. Loki scowled at anyone who happened to be gawking his way. As he marched up the steps, people seemed to finally get it and moved out of the way for him.

"Not bad, Laufeyson," chimed a familiar voice right when he stepped inside the lobby. Tony sidled up next to him, easily falling into step. "Not bad at all."

Loki gave Tony an unamused look. "Am I supposed to be flattered?"

"That was the idea."

Loki made no motion to thank him, stopping in front of his locker. He put in his combination and pulled it open, deliberately missing the side of the other boy's face by an inch.

"Okay, okay, no compliments. I get it." Tony shrugged, before reaching and grabbing a random book from inside. He skimmed through it disinterestedly. "Whoa, did Loki seriously get knocked up by a horse?"

"Give me that!" Loki snatched the book of Norse mythology from his hands, glaring. He tossed it into the back of his locker and resumed unpacking. "Why are you here, anyway? I thought you were with Clint and Natasha."

"Clint's out for a vacation or something like that, which means that Pepper has temporarily become Nat's best friend, which means I can't hang really hang around them any more or I'll become very educated on the menstrual cycle."

"I didn't need to know that. Why don't you, uh, go to Mr. Rogers?"

"Can't. He's at home sick. Ugh, that means we'll have some crappy substitute."

Loki groaned as he pulled out the last binder from his bag. Tony was almost like a second Darcy, only even more sarcastic. "Don't you have other friends?" he deadpanned.

Tony blinked. "Well, yeah," he said slowly. "That's why I'm here, talking to you."

Loki stopped in the middle of closing his locker. He turned to look at Tony cautiously, but the other's eyes were trained on something behind him.

"Anyway," Tony continued, eyes finally meeting Loki's own slightly bewildered ones, "you should probably go return that book. It's due today."

Loki dug the book back out, added it to the pile in his arms, and shut his locker.

"I'm gonna go grab some breakfast before classes start." Tony made a small salute. "See you." Then he was gone, just as quick as he'd appeared.

_Friends_, Loki mulled over silently as he turned and began his own way towards the library. Wasn't it just a week ago that he was debating whether or not to castrate Tony Stark in his sleep? And now they were..._friends_?

Just because they shared some secrets did not mean they were friends. Rather, it should have made them want to avoid each other more. But apparently, Stark had other ideas, dropping this little bomb on him, and Loki was starting to fear the fondness that was beginning to develop within him.

Maybe he had been a second away from accepting this new relationship status, or maybe not - Loki would probably never know, because as soon as he walked through the library's entrance, he realized what Tony had been looking at.

Mr. Odinson was in there.

He only saw him for about one second as his teacher passed between two bookshelves, but it was enough time to recognize him. Apparently, this was the same for Mr. Odinson.

Loki swore their eyes locked, before he disappeared halfway behind another shelf. When Loki realized that his teacher was backing up, he panicked and dove for one of the magazine racks, pressing himself against several front covers of Loki.

"I will kill him," he chanted under his breath while mentally burning, slapping, choking, and, in general, _decapitating_ the imaginary Tony Stark running amok his head, "that little-"

"Loki?"

Loki stifled a terrified squeal, clutching his books to his chest and crawling frantically to the next rack over. He strained to listen for any telltale footsteps, although his loudly-beating heart was making it nearly impossible to.

After what seemed like an eternity(actually, it was only two minutes), he gingerly peeked out from the rack, eyes scouring for any particular blond male teachers. When he found none, he let out a giant sigh of relief and stood, trying to collect himself.

"What are you staring at?" he snapped at a freshman who was gaping at him, then whirled and made his way to the front of the library. He dropped his book off there, but not before flipping to the back and checking the checkout card. There was a stamp that read a date a week from now.

In other words, Tony had lied to him.

The imaginary Tony Stark in his head was run over by a truck.

Loki sighed and turned to leave-

-and almost shrieked.

"Loki," said the out-of-breath-looking Mr. Odinson in front of him.

From this close, Loki could see every shade of blue in his eyes, which reminded him of his dreams, where said eyes were darkened in lust as-

_Not the right time,_ he told himself. "Good morning," he stammered.

"I thought I saw you come in earlier..." Mr. Odinson was murmuring. Then, as if he just realized that they were still out in the open, he pulled him towards the mystery-fiction aisle. There, he released Loki and began wringing his own hands together, anxious. "I...I was hoping to speak with you about...yesterday."

Loki's breath hitched, and his eyes darted to their right. They were in the very back of the library now; the exit would be just around the shelf, and if he moved quickly enough...

"Please, Loki. Listen to me." The hands on his shoulders returned again, and Loki found himself held in place. He remembered his dream, then, that took place in the very same setting, the very same position, with him backed up against the shelf. Suddenly, his cheeks were burning.

He stared up at his teacher, wide-eyed and absolutely terrified.

"You have no idea how sorry I am about yesterday." Mr. Odinson's voice was hushed. His gaze was pleading. "I understand if you resent, or even hate, me now - because honestly, I've been hating myself too - but I want you to know I am so sorry. I've managed to restrain myself before, but I have no idea what happened yest-"

"Before?" Loki cut in. He shut his eyes for a few seconds, trying to think of the implications of that sentence, and opened them again. "What was...before?" He had a faint idea, but he refused to get his hopes up too soon.

Mr. Odinson looked him square in the eye. "Are you going to run as soon as I say it?"

Loki took a deep breath. "I hope not." He really did hope not.

"All right, Mr. Laufeyson." Mr. Odinson's eyes crinkled in the hints of a (humorless?) smile. "I value you...far more than a teacher should value a student."

That hit Loki hard. He would have lost his balance, but thankfully, he caught himself on one of the shelves. "You...what?" His brain was stuck on two options: Start pumping a million questions per second or fold in on itself and fail. The former one, and the next thing that Loki uttered was, "_Why_?"

Yes, why? Why him? Why tall, lanky, awkward, lying, deceitful, untrustworthy _Loki_?

"Why _not_ you?" Mr. Odinson countered, and looked genuinely curious. He didn't wait for an answer to that and chuckled, shaking his head. "Never mind that. Forget that yesterday and today's exchange never happened, and get to homeroom. You'll be marked absent."

Then he turned to leave, to walk out (just like Loki's mother had) and pretend as if the best thing that's ever happened to Loki never happened at all, and yeah, right, Loki was definitely going to let him.

He grabbed that stupid striped tie, yanked the other right back, and kissed him.

There was a few seconds in which Mr. Odinson did not do nor say anything, but then finally, Loki felt a hand at the back of his neck and the other man kissing back.

It ended too quickly than Loki would have liked. Mr. Odinson was the first to pull away, though not very far, their foreheads still touching. "We'll need to talk about this," he said, tone serious but gaze soft. "We'll need to decide on some things."

"I know." Loki nodded. He still hadn't relinquished his grip on Mr. Odinson's tie.

"First decision, though," a thumb grazed his jaw, "whenever we're alone, you are to call me Thor."

Loki grinned so wide his cheeks hurt.

**. . .**

Thor couldn't have imagined the meeting going any better than it had. _Well,_ he thought, _it would have been even better if..._ But he cut off that particular thought there, because it was still during school hours.

"What's got you so happy?" Steve asked, somewhat concerned, as Thor walked past from lunch duty.

"Perhaps I'll tell you later, my friend," Thor replied - he didn't want to go off telling anyone without Loki's consent. _Especially_ without Loki's consent.

He had a feeling Steve already knew, but he closed the door to his classroom and didn't stick around to find out.

As soon as he was alone, his phone vibrated. Thor slipped it out of his pocket, glanced in mild surprise at the caller ID, and answered on the third ring. "Father?"

"Good afternoon, Thor. Since you picked up, I'm assuming I'm not interrupting one of your classes?"

Thor laughed, scratching at his chin idly. "No, father, you're not. Although, aren't you supposed to be busy helping out with the wedding planning?"

"That's months away, son," his father chided. "Besides, your soon-to-be stepmother seems eager to plan out everything herself. Anyhow, there was something else important I wanted to discuss."

Thor walked over to his chalkboard and began to erase the chalk markings. "What is it?" he asked as he spritzed the board.

"Your new stepmother - you remember her son, correct?"

She only talked about him once or twice before. He nodded, despite the fact there was no one to see him do it. "Yes, I do."

"She is having him over during the weekend and was wondering if you would come on Saturday night to have dinner with them. She would like you to formally introduce you two to each other, since you'll be stepbrothers soon and whatnot."

Her son, along with her ex-husband, always seemed like a sensitive subject, and Thor had never asked before, not wanting to pry. He took it as a good thing that she was willing to introduce them; perhaps they would be closer, then. And Thor had always wanted a brother, related by blood or not.

There was a knock on his classroom door, and Thor turned to catch a glimpse of his eighth period students waiting outside. "I have to go now, but you can tell her I'll definitely be there," he said, motioning for them to wait a second. "I'll see you Saturday, then."

"Good luck with the rest of your classes, Thor," his father said, and the conversation was forced to end.

Friday was an in-service day. There would definitely be paperwork but he would finish before the next day.

_So Saturday night it is_, he thought, and went to welcome his next class in.

* * *

a/n: I guess this is semi-important? I've heard about FF supposedly "purging" stories that have mature content, so if this story is to get any more explicit - which I predict it will - I'm thinking about also posting it to AO3. While I'll definitely keep updating this here as well, particular scenes may only be posted on the AO3 version, because, well, I'd rather this story not taken off. _ _||

I haven't made a final decision for this yet, but I'm just already putting it out there, in case it does happen in the future. /le sigh


	11. xi: A Study in Scarlet

xi. A Study in Scarlet

As Loki headed for his last class of the day, his stomach was churning an unhealthy mixture of several feelings, the most predominant of which being excitement. (Which was a surprise. He heard a late announcement that they were going to be starting their swimming unit in physical education the next day. Fun.)

"_Someone_'s happy," Tony said with a nudge to his shoulder, magically appearing at his side for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that day.

"Get to class," Loki ordered, because he still hadn't quite forgiven Stark for that morning. Even though it _did_ end in a much-desirable fashion, "before I castrate you."

"I'll never get tired of your dirty death threats." Tony draped an arm over his shoulders, apparently indifferent to the strange looks they were getting. "So, had any talks with Th- ah, Mr. Odinson lately? Heard you had a little run-in with him this morning."

"Why, yes, actually. It was quite the coincident," Loki replied sweetly. "I happened to bump into him while I was at the library, as you very well know, returning a book _that wasn't even due-_"

"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome." Tony clapped him on the shoulder, a wide grin plastered on his face. "You should probably take your own advice and get to class now. Mr. O doesn't look too happy over there."

Loki's head snapped up almost instantly, eyes darting to where the English classroom was. A few seconds later, he realized that he should probably stop being so gullible. "I hate you," he told the other student flatly. Usually he was more articulate with insults, but Tony was tiring to deal with. Also, Loki had already threatened to take away Tony's ability to reproduce. Was there anything worse than that?

"Go on, shoo," Tony said with a helpful nudge in the classroom's direction.

Loki stopped beside the doorway; the room was buzzing with chatter. There was still a good two minutes before the period officially began. "Aren't you going to class?" he asked curtly, noticing that Tony was beginning to amble down the hallway, past the history classroom.

"Nope," the brunet called back with a casual wave of his hand.

Deciding that Stark was too stubborn to convince anything otherwise (and Mr. Rogers's substitute really was unbearable), Loki entered Mr. Odinson's classroom.

Despite most of his classmates already being present, his usual seat in the back was still empty. Mr. Odinson was busy writing something on the chalkboard; Loki managed to slip in without being noticed.

No sooner than the moment he sat down, Mr. Odinson turned to greet the class. "Afternoon!" he boomed, quite loudly. All conversations were dispelled. A few called out in return.

Bright blue eyes scanned the room, assessing who was there and who was not, and Loki thought his gaze lingered on him a few seconds longer than necessary. Then he moved right along, a smile falling easily into place as he began that day's lesson: "If you all would please direct your attention to the board..."

Needless to say, Loki's attention was _not_ directed to the board.

Was this how things were going to be like, from now on? Mr. Odinson - _Thor_ - looked like he was having a much easier time acting casual. Meanwhile, Loki had slumped a good five inches down in his seat, eyes darting about nervously, as if afraid that someone was suddenly going to call him out for staring too long at his teacher's arse.

Before, he only had to worry about people finding out that he had a thing for the English teacher, but now, _now_ he had to worry about people finding out he had a thing _with_ the English teacher.

"Mr. Laufeyson?"

Loki practically jumped in his seat when he was called on. Mr. Odinson was standing in the front of the room, looking at him expectantly, along with one or two other students that turned back, disinterested. None of them looked suspicious, except maybe that Mr. Odinson had an amused gleam in his eye.

"Yes?" Loki said furtively.

"I don't suppose that your desk has given you a way to be more effective in literary persuasion?"

Loki felt himself fluster; he craned his neck and tried to read what was written on the board. "Have a wide range of vocabulary," he offered. "Try to sound as intelligent as you can."

The answer came off the top of his head. He reckoned it would serve as better advice for someone who was trying to be more effective in being a jackass.

But Thor only crossed his arms, actually looking pensive. "Pray elaborate," he said.

"Well, I imagine it would help you come across as someone who knows what they're doing." Loki shifted slightly in his seat, wondering why they weren't moving on already. "For most of us, there's an underlying part of our nature that craves to told what to do. But why would one ever choose to listen to someone who couldn't even hold their attention with their inarticulateness."

"You seem to know a lot about this subject, Loki."

_No, I really don't._ "I've...read some books."

"Perfect. I suppose you wouldn't mind proving your claim true, then, by giving us an oral presentation."

"I- Wait, what?" He sat up straight in his seat, eyes wide.

"Yes," Thor said to himself, turning and heading back to the chalkboard. "You won't have to take this lesson's final test. The presentation, which will be an assessment on how well you've grasped the concepts of public speaking and word usage, will replace your test grade instead."

"I don't-"

"You have two weeks." Then there was no more room for argument. Someone in the front row raised their hand. "Yes, Thomas?"

"May I give an oral presentation too, sir?"

"I'm afraid we will only have time for one. I'm sure you'll do well on the test, though."

And the lesson was promptly resumed.

Loki scratched idle marks into his desk as the class drew to a close. Maybe he had overestimated his teacher's ability to act natural; if that little display didn't scream bias, he wasn't sure what did.

Afterwards, as everyone left, Loki received several looks that varied from jealousy(_why do you get special treatment?_) to sympathy(_oh, that sucks_) to relief(_well, at least it wasn't me_). When the classroom was empty, Thor telling the last boy to shut the door behind him, Loki heaved himself out of his seat and relocated to the front.

"What was that?" he asked hotly, cheeks flustering again despite himself. "You said yourself that if I'm to catch up to this year's curriculum and be able to pass the final exam, we shouldn't waste any time!"

"Exactly," Thor said with a blink, only serving to confuse Loki even more. "Is it not easier to prepare for a presentation, rather than a test? This way, you have less to worry about. All you have to do is pick a topic and make a convincing argument out of it." He smiled, tossing a piece of chalk back on the tray. "Does that make sense?"

Loki only sighed, pushing a desk forward until it was pressed against Thor's own. He sat down, shoulders slumped. "I guess," he mumbled.

"And I would also like to bring up that defacing school property is enough to earn you some form of punishment."

At this, Loki glanced up. "And what would you do about it?" he asked with some sort of challenge, because one, he was still a slightly irate with the whole presentation, and two, the authoritative tone that Thor's voice had taken on and the implications of his words sent more than just chills up his spine. To be honest, there was only a one shallow scratch he'd been able to make, but he chose not to say _that_ out loud.

In two strides, Thor is next to him, bending down, a large hand on the curve of Loki's neck. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he murmured teasingly, his lips brushing Loki's cheek.

"I would, actually," Loki drawled, before pulling Thor by the collar of his shirt and showing him that a _proper_ kiss. The reaction was immediate, to his delight, and then he was being pressed into the metal arm of the seat as Thor leaned even closer. Loki was the first to pull away, the lack of oxygen making him feel a little light-headed. "Are we really going to be reading Romeo and Juliet today?"

"When was the play written?" The hand on his neck moved up to caress his jaw.

"During the 1590's."

"Where does Romeo first encounter Juliet, and who convinced him to go in the first place?" He felt a thumb tracing small circles on his cheek.

"At an event hosted by the Capulets. Benvolio is the man who convinces Romeo to go."

"Good." Those fingers were now curled gently around his strands of hair, giving a few encouraging strokes. "According to Romeo, Juliet lights up the world like the..."

"Like the sun," Loki finishes, his eyes fluttering shut, "the morning sun."

"What drives Romeo to kill Tybalt?"

"He kills Mercutio. Ah, Thor, I don't see the point of this-"

"Why does Romeo end up killing himself?"

"Friar John's letter arrives too late, and so he assumes Juliet to be dead and takes his own life in her tomb."

"And the moral of the story?"

"Have more patience?" Impatient, Loki wrapped his arms around Thor's shoulders and pulled him in for another kiss, giving a small sigh when he felt his tongue sweeping across his bottom lip, asking for entrance, which Loki gladly gave.

The fingers in his hair tightened, and there was a moan - which Loki realized came from his own mouth.

And then, his arms were suddenly empty.

"Despite perhaps that last one, I believe you'll pass with flying colors." Thor stepped back abruptly and leaving Loki quite frazzled in his seat, lips wet and eyes lidded. "Now, I have a much a better idea on how we should spend this afternoon." He righted his collar, smoothing it down and adjusting his tie. Then he smiled at Loki, putting out a hand. "Come on. Bring your books. We're most likely not going to be coming back."

Grudgingly, Loki took it, almost stumbling when he got up. Their mini lesson had effectively short-circuited majority of his brain. His legs felt like Jello. "Where are we going?" he had the mind to ask as he followed Thor out of the classroom, books in hand. The hallway was empty, but that didn't stop Loki from making sure there was no one to overhear them.

"Calm down, Loki." Thor put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing. "We can say," he said decisively as he accompanied Loki back to his locker, "we're going on a little field trip."

* * *

a/n: sorry this took a while longer to put up! I just got home from vacation two days ago, and instead of working on this chapter, I got distracted with a oneshot. And yeah, this chapter's pretty short ; v ;  
as a side note, those questions that Thor was asking were shamelessly taken from SparksNotes. I haven't done a study of Romeo and Juliet yet, personally. =u=

AND LASTLY. You guys are awesome, with all the support and patience you lend me. thank you so much! ; A ;


	12. xii: Addition

**um.** mature stuff ahead _\_(o u o)/

* * *

xii. Addition

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
can u come over pleeeaaaase_

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
i promise i wont sneeze on u  
_

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
pinky swear  
_

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
lokiiiiiiii  
_

**. . .  
**

"I drove my own car to school, you know," Loki piped up as Thor took his bag for him and slung it into the trunk of the Dodge Avenger. It was red and looked almost new, contrasting sharply against the dull parking lot.

"Ah, really? I've always seen you walking." Thor stopped in the middle of opening the door for him, eyebrows knitting together in thought.

"I used to, but my dad thought that today was the day I should finally get a car." Loki shrugged. Then, realizing that Thor might be having second thoughts, he added, "I wouldn't mind leaving it here overnight and walking tomorrow." He had been doing that for the past three years, what could one more day hurt? And he would be more than glad to do it, if it meant being able to go on this so-called "field trip."

"No, Loki!" Thor shook his head, appearing to be adamant. The concern in his expression, although sincere, almost drew a laugh from younger male. "I will simply drive you."

Loki arched an eyebrow. "Please clarify," he said slowly.

The concern was gone from his teacher's face now. Thor was smiling his usual smile, the one that crinkled the corner of his eyes(not that Loki was noticing such an irrelevant detail or anything). "I will drive you to school tomorrow," he explained, putting a hand on the small of Loki's hand and gently ushering him into the front seat. "You can leave your car here, I will drive you home tonight, too." When Loki was in, he shut the door to go to the other side, but not before Loki overheard him add, "I am certain we may not be able to return until it's late..."

Loki watched him as he climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine. Buckling his seat belt, he pointed out, "Won't people ask questions? I mean, it's not everyday they see a student climbing out of a car with their teacher..."

Thor stretched an arm across the back of Loki's seat, twisting around to make sure there weren't any cars behind them. "We will arrive early. If people become suspicious even then, we can simply tell them that I'm cramming to get you caught up before the final exam. Although," he murmured, eyes flickering to Loki for a brief moment, "I fail to see why they should make it any of their businesses."

"It's not that simple." Loki's shoulders slumped a little. His hands were making vague gestures of their own accord and, realizing he didn't know how to put his thoughts into words, he revised with a question: "Aren't you afraid?"

"Well, of course." Thor chuckled dryly. He kept a hand on the steering wheel and used the other to loosen the tie around his neck. "You seem to have enough shaken nerves for the two of us, though, so I try not to show it."

Loki didn't quite know how to reply.

"Everything will be all right, Loki," Thor said in a soft voice. He put a hand on Loki's forearm and squeezed, trying to be reassuring. "We're both of age, eighteen and twenty five. And besides, by next year, I won't be your teacher any more - or _a_ teacher, for that matter." Loki immediately sat up in attention at this, looking ready to voice some form of protest, but Thor held up his hand and continued.

"My father runs a company, and I've been more or less cut out to take over it someday." Whether it was just Loki's imagination or not, he saw the faintest hints of Thor's knuckles tightening on the steering wheel. "Business suits me ill, although teaching does have its downsides, too. But since I found out that he was going to marry again, I've started to reconsider - and now that I have you, I think it's safe to say that my decision's been made.

"And so there. I think that's the longest I've ever thought ahead before, but it's there, and you don't have to worry so much."

There was a bout of silence after that as Loki processed all of this information. Then, after opening and closing his mouth a good five times in several attempts to speak, he blurted, voice a little high-pitched towards the end, "Are you crazy?"

Thor looks offended on some level, borderline amused. Loki hastily corrects himself. "Ah, wait, I meant- I didn't mean it in an offensive way, don't fail me for this semester, I just..." He snapped his mouth shut again, cheeks coloring in embarrassment.

"You just...?" Thor prompted patiently.

"This is only your first year of teaching, isn't it?" Loki dared to speak again. He looked down at his lap, where the sight of his hands wrung together was suddenly very interesting. "You don't have to do all of that for..._us_." He paused, let out a loud breath. "I'm not even sure about what '_us_' means right now. I find it difficult to gauge our relationship between my struggle to stop mentally referring to you as Mr. Odinson and my constant dreams of-"

_Shut up, before that grave you're digging becomes deep enough for your own coffin._

(He wasn't sure whether it was Darcy or Tony's voice that he heard.)

"What I mean to say is, are you really ready to do all of _that_ for something that you're not sure will even work out in the end...?"

Thor glanced at him with an expression that Loki interpreted to be a combination of a dozen different feelings. There were two that stood out in particular, and one of them was hurt. _You're an idiot,_ said the voice in his mind again, and oh, yep, that was Darcy's.

But the other one that stood out was a flash of confidence, determination - and when Thor's hand found his and interlaced their fingers, Loki felt almost...untouchable. It was a foreign, yet satisfying feeling.

"You're oddly mature," Thor said quietly. He sounded as if he was on the verge of chuckling. "I think we'll fare just fine."

Loki wanted to raise more objections(_But what if we _don't_? What__ happens if you'll have to move away? What happens if we're found out?_), but then Thor lifted his hand and kissed his knuckles, and Loki thought, _That's not fair_ because it only made for an even more convincing argument.

**. . .**

When they finally arrived, it was in the next town over and in front of an unfamiliar theater with the proud, yet worn name of _Orpheum Theater. _"A play?" Loki inquired curiously as Thor locked the car and walked with him to the entrance, and finally noticed _Romeo and Juliet_ posted on the sign.

"It pertains to your studies," Thor said mildly, "and enjoyable." Well, he _hoped_. "_And_ no one knows who we are here, so you can ease up on your paranoia there." He smiled, elbowing him in the side teasingly.

"What paranoia?" Loki huffed, hugging himself semi-defensively.

Thor then chuckled and slung an arm around his waist, pulled him flush against his side so that they fit quite neatly. They walked like this to the ticket booth, where Thor bought them two tickets, despite Loki's protests that he had enough money to get his own (to which, by the way, Thor replied by telling him he was trying to take him out on a date here; that promptly shut Loki up with a dark blush on his cheeks).

Before they went in, Loki took out his phone, saw ten new messages from Darcy, turned it off, made a mental note to apologize later, put it back in his pocket, then went to join Thor inside.

The play was two and a half hours long. Loki's attention admittedly strayed at some points, but in his defense, the situation was terrifyingly(pleasantly) close to one of his many ornate fantasies.

"That was enlightening," he commented lightly on their way out.

"I'm aching in several places," Thor pitched in.

"Don't suppose I can be of any assistance?"

"Perhaps later."

The beauty of it all didn't really hit him until they were back in the car, sitting together in the backseat with a bag full of snacks between them, bought from a nearby convenience store. Maybe it was when Loki allowed Thor to snatch the bottle of water from his hand and take a sip, or when Thor didn't complain about Loki splaying his legs in his lap - Loki wasn't really sure. All he knew was that when it hit him, it hit him like a choo choo train.

Here he was, a town away from home, sitting in the back seat not with Mr. Odinson, his teacher, but _Thor_, the man who somehow was able to put up with Loki Laufeyson. Eating together there, sharing cookies and pretzels and whatever they had scraped off the shelves of the store, they weren't teacher and student. They were simply Thor and Loki. And he'd been waiting an awfully long time for things to finally feel like that.

And perhaps that was why, afterwards, when Thor suggested they go home, Loki asked, "Can I go home with you?"

"I don't know, Loki. _Can_ you?"

"Oh, please." Loki rolled his eyes. "_May_ I?"

Thor just leaned forward and kissed him, leaving a sweet aftertaste on Loki's tongue. "Of course."

**. . .**

Balder greeted Loki very enthusiastically, bounding up to him the moment the raven-haired boy stepped in. "Down, boy," Thor said, but neither he nor Loki could stop from smiling as the dog pawed at the latter's legs.

"At least I didn't get another faceful of saliva," Loki remarked, gently easing the dog back down to all four paws.

"At least." Thor nodded in agreement, watching as Balder's attention was captured by something else, and back to the kitchen he went, trotting along and poking his nose in the air.

"Hm," Loki tried to make casual conversation, dropping his bag by the door and kicking off his shoes, "this is-" only to be interrupted when Thor's lips were pressed against his again. The suddenness of the action knocked the breath out of him and sent him stumbling a step back, but then strong arms were around his back, supporting him easily. "Eager, are we," he murmured breathily between their lips.

Thor nipped at his mouth. "You shouldn't be talking."

The hands on Loki's back slowly dipped lower, and Loki jumped slightly when he felt them sliding into his back pockets. Then Thor squeezed, _possessive,_ and Loki moaned, his fingers curling into Thor's shoulders.

"Now would be a good time to tell me to stop," Thor said huskily as he purposely grazed his teeth across a particular patch of skin on Loki's neck, ignoring the quiet chants of "No marks, no marks." "Otherwise I'm afraid I won't have as much self-restraint later."

"Who said I wanted to stop?" Loki groused. His hands came up to rest flat against the older man's chest. Underneath his fingertips and the fabric of his shirt, he could feel the warmth of his skin, the quickening thrum of his pulse. He allowed his fingers to trail downwards, flicking the first few buttons undone on the way, until his fingers were resting on the waistband of Thor's pants.

Thor's eyes were lidded, usually-bright cerulean eyes a shade darker in want. "No bed?" he chuckled teasingly, slipping one of his hands out of a pocket and smacking Loki lightly.

Loki palmed the front of his pants, tongue darting out to wet his lips. "I don't think you can wait." With that said, he set to undoing the button and zipper. He hooked his fingers into the belt loops of the bothersome clothing and pulled, following through with his movement and lowering himself to the floor, on his knees.

He had only been with one other before, and that other had been a woman. Everything he'd done so far had been out of pure instinct, but Thor, judging from his flushed cheeks, wasn't minding so far.

Loki pulled his boxers down along with the pants, allowing them to pool around Thor's ankles, revealing his throbbing erection.

He heard Thor gave a slight gasp as Loki moved closer to wrap his fingers around it. He leaned forward and licked coquettishly at the head, eliciting a harsh "_Fuck_" from the man above him.

Taking that as a good sign, he lapped at the cock again, this time dragging his tongue up from the base to the tip, before taking it into his mouth.

"Loki," Thor groaned, his head tipping back and his eyes fluttering shut as his cock was engulfed in delicious warmth.

Loki lowered even further until he couldn't fit any more. The tip of it hit the back of his throat and he groaned around the flesh, loving the way it made him feel so _full_. He could only imagine what it would feel like somewhere else...

He used his hand to rub whatever couldn't fit, twisting around the base and smearing precum on his palm. "Yes, just like that." Thor's voice was low, tainted with lust. He tangled his fingers in Loki's black hair just as the younger male began to bob his head.

Loki let him control the pace, allowing him to buck his hips forward and essentially fucking into his mouth. Spikes of pleasure raced down his spine when he felt his hair being pulled and only fueled his own arousal, which strained against his jeans.

"You have no idea how beautiful you look," Thor nearly growled, eyes fixated on Loki's own as he kept thrusting shallowly, "with your lips spread around my cock like that."

That was enough to send Loki fumbling to undo his own jeans, slipping his unoccupied hand into his boxers and starting to stroke himself. With the way Thor kept uttering such filthy words to him and pulling his hair like that, Loki reckoned he wasn't going to last long.

"Fuck, _Loki_." Thor's pace quickened as he thrust in and out of Loki's mouth more erratically, desperate for release, and every now and then, Loki felt the back of his head make contact with the wall with the force of Thor's thrusts.

He stroked his own cock faster, eyes nearly rolling to the back of his head as the pleasure threatened to overwhelm him.

"I'm cumming-" Thor barely managed to warn. He forcibly pulled Loki's head back just as his seed was spilled, the white sticky fluid landing on Loki's cheek, and Thor would be struck dead for lying if he said that the lewd image didn't make him want to do everything over again.

Not too long after, Loki came as well, staining his hand with his own cum. He let go of Thor's spent cock, touching his damp cheek and then bringing his hand in front of his face to stare at the white essence.

"Oh, god," he heard Thor mutter, as if he just realized what he'd done, "here, I'll go get you some towels."

Loki only manage a nod and slumped against the wall, breathless, wide-eyed, and with an aching jaw as the last few aftershocks of pleasure ran through his body.

Maybe they _would_ fare just fine after all.

* * *

a/n: Happy Canada day, everyone! I'm not Canadian myself but if you are, know that I love you in the least creepiest way possible. You guys are freaking awesome okay

moving on, this story has officially been posted to AO3 as well, under the same title and such. o v o  
There's a link to it on my profile, since it doesn't seem to be working here...

oh, and. this is the first time I've written something as explicit as that asdf;lkas /rolls away/


	13. xiii: Great Expectations

xiii. Great Expectations

The hand that dabbed the towel across his face was gentle. Thor's piercing blue eyes were trained on him, crinkled in worry. "I really am sorry, Loki. I... I did not mean..." He trailed off helplessly, and it was somewhat of a comfort to the younger man to see that he was blushing.

"It's fine," Loki said for what must have been the fiftieth time. He managed a small smile, before the eye contact became too much and his eyes flickered down to his lap. "That was- I mean... Was it...good?" He'd never done that to anyone before, and his cheeks burned, a blush that, he was sure, wasn't leaving his face for a few days.

"It was with you," replied Thor. He smiled too, an action that shook up several butterflies in Loki's stomach. "So yes, it was perfect."

Loki laughed with a slight shake of his head. "Sentiment."

"Ah, can it hurt to indulge me?" Thor's tone was teasing as he put the towel aside. He cupped Loki's cheek, stroking a thumb across the smooth skin. "Would it be appropriate if I now asked you if you'd like something to eat?"

Loki shook his head. He was had already imposed too much when he asked to go home with Thor. He opened his mouth to tell him that he was already quite full from the pretzels, but just as he did so, his stomach grumbled. "I'm all right," he said too late, then looked up at the older man sheepishly.

"It wouldn't be any trouble, if you're worrying about that." Thor helped him to his feet, casting a small smile. (He was admittedly tempted to crack a double entendre of making sure to "fill" Loki up more next time - and not with food. But he held his tongue, because Loki's face seemed far too red already.) "You can use my bathroom to, ah- clean up? I'll make dinner."

Loki shook his head again. "No, I really am all right." He fiddled with his fingers anxiously, hating the churning of emotions in the pit of his stomach.

Those damned butterflies were fluttering again and he ordered them to calm down.

Maybe they could be hornets instead. That sounded less feminine.

"What do you want to do, then?" Thor thankfully seemed to drop it. "I have some movies we can watch - they are considerably more captivating than that play."

Without any warning, Loki was pulled flush against him, and he felt his chest rumble as Thor laughed. He squirmed for a little while, then stopped when he realized it was probably no use. "You," he said when he was finally able to pull himself away enough to look up at the taller man, "don't want me to go?"

Thor blinked down at him, tilting his head. "...Weren't you the one who asked if you could come over?" he asked, sounding every bit confused as he looked.

Loki mentally smacked himself. _Oh, right._

"Well, you might have changed your mind since then?" he said meekly, then braced himself for the affirmative.

Instead, Thor said, "Why would I?" He smoothed a hand through Loki's hair(which in turn made Loki want to purr contentedly. He'd never admit it, but he loved when people touched his hair) and placed a small kiss on the tip of his nose. "Of course I don't want you to go."

As if on cue, Balder trotted in from the other room and made his way over to Loki's legs, where he proceeded to sit himself down and bark happily.

"...All right." Loki glanced down. "But...I would really like to use the bathroom..."

**. . .**

Seeing as his underwear (and pants, most likely) were ruined, Thor let him wash himself in his bathroom. Loki remembered too late that this visit had been unplanned and he had no extra clothes with him.

"You can use one of my older clothes," Thor offered. Loki's first reaction was to refuse, _because what if he ruined those too_, but eventually he rationalized that he couldn't prance around naked in Thor's house.

So he accepted the pair of boxers, pajama pants, and shirt, clothed himself, then rejoined Thor in the living room.

"You're b-" Thor turned with two DVDs in hand and stopped when he saw Loki. "Hm," he said thoughtfully, and Loki imagined that he was probably regretting letting him borrow his clothes. "Those look good on you," Thor finally said.

Loki stared at him. Thor merely smirked. And Balder barked and wagged his tail.

"Which one do you want to see?" Thor held up the DVDs again, and from the covers, Loki surmised they were horror movies. _Psycho,_ read one; _28 Weeks Later_, read the other.

"That one," he said decisively, pointing to the latter. He'd already seen both, actually, but _Psycho_ was the one more likely to make him pee his pants. And so the zombie horror movie it was.

He took a seat on the couch, sinking down quite a bit into the large cushions. He blinked from where he was half buried, casting an incredulous glance at Thor as he popped the disc in, then sat down as well. Miraculously, he didn't sink down as far. "How do you do that?" Loki sounded vaguely accusing, wriggling in his seat as he tried not to be eaten alive by the cushions.

Then Balder jumped up on the couch and landed on his legs, which made him sink even further down.

"Down, boy." Thor ushered him off. When the dog had found a new spot on the floor, he took Loki and guided him over so that he was practically sitting on his lap.

"Better?" he asked, looking down at the flustered male with an amused grin.

"Much," replied Loki. He rubbed his own cheeks, slapped them a few times.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to lessen my resemblance to a tomato. If you'll excuse me."

"I think you should look like this more often. It's...endearing."

Despite Loki's protests, he leaned down and nuzzled their noses together. "All the build-up for _that_?" Loki grumbled crossly, and turned his head to kiss him fully on the lips.

On the TV screen, the opening credits were starting to appear. The movie hadn't even properly started yet and they were already distracted.

Loki had no complaints. He was half aware that he was now sitting completely in Thor's lap, shivering when he felt a hand brushed against his cheek. Another settled on his hips, keeping him from leaving.

_As if I'd _want_ to leave._

"Loki." A few seconds away, Thor broke the kiss.

Loki hummed in acknowledgment, tracing idle patterns into the other's chest.

"I thought we were watching a movie."

"You started it!"

"Yes, but you let me keep going!"

"Are we really arguing about this?" Loki couldn't help but laugh, his shoulders shaking as he did a poor job of containing himself. "I don't really mind anyway."

"Hm?" Thor took the opportunity to lean in and begin leaving small kisses down his jawline. Loki felt him grin. "Are you afraid of the movie already?"

Loki snorted. "We're still on the previews, genius." He faded off with a sigh as Thor continued downwards, and Loki even tilted his head to bare his neck to the affectionate kisses.

"Loki," Thor said again a few seconds later.

Barely paying attention to anything else but those lips on his skin, Loki uttered, "What?"

"If you ever feel like we're moving too fast, tell me, all right?" Thor leaned back to look at him, serious blue eyes a contrast to his previously teasing demeanor. "The last thing I want to do is to be forcing you into anything you don't like."

"It's with you," Loki said, blatantly mirroring Thor's earlier words, "so it's perfect. Of course I'll like it, you dummy."

A hand lightly swatted his arse, and he huffed in indignation. "Dummy?" Thor echoed against his neck, sounding somewhat offended.

"Take it as a, ah," Loki poked his cheek, "term of endearment."

Thor stilled his hand, and then their eyes met again. "But I'm serious, Loki. If you're ever uncomfortable with anything, you'll tell me, understand?"

There was nothing but sincerity and maybe a little bit of pleading in his eyes, and that was enough to send those cursed butterflies(_hornets_) making a commotion again. No one had ever looked at him like that, ever said anything like that to him before.

"Of course," he murmured softly with a nod.

He leaned in to kiss him, but then there was a loud bang from the television, which resulted in Loki giving a startled yelp and falling ungracefully from Thor's lap. Balder, who had been situated peacefully at their feet, bolted away with a whimper at having been disturbed.

"Are you okay?"

He was helped back onto the couch with little white spots dancing across his vision. "Um, yes," he said off-handedly, resisting the urge to stare in apt fascination at the spots. Thor looked at him worriedly for a few seconds, before finally tearing his eyes away and finally paying some attention to the movie.

Halfway through (Loki wasn't sure, but maybe it was around the time a particular actor appeared on screen, and he remarked out loud that he looked like Clint Barton), one of them dozed off. Loki thought it was Thor, and Thor thought it was Loki.

Either way(Thor fell asleep first, for the record), it wasn't long before the other followed suit as well.

It wasn't until forty-five minutes after the movie ended that Thor was also the first to wake up to a darkened room. The move was still on, stuck on the menu screen. Loki was curled up tightly at his side. When Thor failed to rouse him, his sleep-fogged mind made a decision to pick him up and move him to his bedroom.

His bed barely had enough space to fit two people, but it helped that Loki clung to him as soon as he climbed in too.

No thoughts of what possible consequences they could run into entered his mind until he woke up the next morning, still in bed with Loki, to the sound of someone ringing his doorbell.

* * *

a/n: asfj;ksdf! I'm really sorry for this slow and crappy update, but I got preoccupied with this new project I started(it's a choose-your-own-adventure thing; there's more info on my profile blah), and for some reason, this chapter didn't seem to want to come out. ;-;


	14. xiv: Quadratic Reciprocity

xiv. Quadratic Reciprocity

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
did u get the notes? i'm comin over to pick them up so i dont bomb that math test today  
_

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
im outside, where r u?  
_

_To: Stark  
From: Darcy  
u with loki or something?  
_

To: Darcy  
From: Tony Stark  
No why?_  
_

_To: Stark  
From: Darcy  
he isnt home so i thought he went over to ur house or something  
_

To: Darcy  
From: Tony Stark  
Oh, well maybe he's already at school_  
_

_To: Stark  
From: Darcy  
it's five in the morning, genius  
_

To: Darcy  
From: Tony Stark  
Try texting sarcasm to me again when you learn how to capitalize

To: Darcy  
From: Tony Stark  
But good point._  
_

**. . .**

"Thor?" Loki shifted in his arms. Looking down, Thor saw that the doorbell had woken him as well. "Who's it?" he murmured, sleepy green eyes blinking as he sat up.

"Stay here," Thor told him, his tone firm and leaving no room for argument. He couldn't deny the fact that his heart was pounding loudly in his ears as he climbed out of the bed.

He exited the room and headed downstairs to his front door, smoothing his hair out and trying to look more presentable while he was at it. (Or, as presentable as he could while wearing an old gray t-shirt and some shorts.

He checked through the peephole first, but, upon seeing no one there, moved to open the door. He stepped outside, mindful of his bare feet, and looked around. No one was in sight.

_Probably just some kids_, he thought with a grimace. His neighborhood was notorious for pranking teenagers running amok.

"Who was it?" asked Loki, and Thor glanced back to see him standing at the bottom of the stairwell, seeming as confused as he was at the sight of the empty doorstep.

"Some teenagers, most likely," Thor answered. "Did you happen to see what time it is?"

"Uh, it's around five thirty, I think." Loki yawned, walking past Thor and heading to the kitchen. "I'm making breakfast for you."

Thor looked back out again, before shaking his head and closing the door. He wished that next time, they would at least have the decency _not _to come in ungodly hours of the morning or night. "You don't need to, Loki," he said, following his student. "I have cereal in the cupboards."

"No, I _want _to." Loki was already rummaging around in his refrigerator, procuring his carton of eggs. He set it down on the counter, then paused. "I mean, if you wouldn't mind? I'd really like to do this in return for practically forcing myself into your house. Do you have any bacon?"

"In the freezer."

"Thank you." Loki's hair was rumpled, and Thor had to repress the urge to walk over and fix it for him.

"You didn't force yourself into my house, Loki. I enjoyed your company. And I was the one who fell asleep first last night, and I was the one who chose to let you sleep in." He raised an eyebrow at him, a smile pulling at his lips. "Shouldn't you be worrying about other things besides breakfast?"

"I'm hungry," Loki said moodily, and, after Thor directed him to it, took out a frying pan. He began to heat it up, preparing two eggs at his side. "And what other things are there for me to worry about?"

"Your parents? I'm sure they noticed you missing last night."

"My stepmother could care less, and my father probably assumed I was with Darcy." Loki's voice was tight, and for a second, he glanced over to Thor, as if to say, Just drop it, please?

So Thor, not wanting to pry, said nothing else. Although he did come up behind Loki, put his hands on his waist, and deposited a kiss on his shoulder. "I'll set the table."

He couldn't see Loki's face from where he was, but he did see the tips of his ears go red. Thor had to grin, taking out two plates and some utensils.

Balder was curled up under the dining table when he walked in, waking instantly as soon as Thor accidentally knocked his leg into a chair. The dog barked, scampering towards his food bowl. When the table was set, Thor re-entered the kitchen to get the dog food. He was just in time to see Loki hiss over a burnt finger, sticking it into his mouth in an attempt to stop the pain, all the while glaring at the pan.

Thor chuckled and left before something was thrown at him.

Twenty minutes later, Loki came out with a plate of eggs and bacon. (During which, by the way, Thor tried to help him, for the eighth time. And got turned away, for the eighth time.)

"I should have you over more often," Thor mused as he filled his plate. He took a bite, chewed, swallowed, contemplated, and added, "You cook well."

Loki didn't gratify him with a response to that but he did smile. "Would you mind dropping me off at my house afterwards?" he said, swiftly changing the subject. "I can't exactly go to school wearing your clothes, and-" He cut himself off and dissolved into a string of expletives. "We're starting the swimming unit today."

"Language," Thor had the mind to say. "And why can't you? I have some smaller shirts you can use."

Loki eyed him warily. "In case you haven't noticed, this is me," he put his hands several inches apart, "and this is you." Then stretches his arms out all the way.

Thor laughed through a mouthful of bacon, which earned him a playful kick from under the table and a light admonish of, "Don't talk when your mouth's full."

"You can simply roll up the sleeves, and use a belt."

"I detest things that restrain me..."

"Oh, really?" Thor grinned. "I recall you being quite obedient last night, on your knees and-"

Another kick. Thor laughed as Loki said, cheeks red, "Not while we're eating!"

Thor liked this, he decided. He liked falling asleep together and waking up together. He liked eating breakfast with Loki. He liked their banter. He liked the way everything was so different from the classroom setting - casual, laid-back. Here, they were hidden from the rest of the world and Thor had the chance to rain as much affection on Loki as he wished.

Ten minutes later, he sent Loki up to his room to take a shower while he washed the dishes. Then he moved Loki's clothes from the washer to the dryer, deciding that he would remember to give them back either at the end of the day or the next morning.

When he joined Loki in his room, he found the other standing in front of the mirror, hair damp from the shower and clinging to the back of his neck. He was wearing one of Thor's shirts - green and loose, but fitting enough - and cargo pants that looked baggy. "You haven't worn these to school before, right?" Loki asked as he fiddled with the belt.

"They're hardly appropriate for teaching. Of course not." Thor waved him over, running a critical eye over his form. "Hm, these fit you surprisingly well."

"Why, thank you," Loki returned wryly, finally strapping the belt on. "I haven't worn anything this loose since...well, _never_."

Thor chuckled, ruffling Loki's hair and walking past him. "I'm going to get ready, and then I'll drive you to school. We should arrive there early enough so none of your classmates see us." He disappeared into the bathroom before Loki could object. "I'll meet you downstairs," he called through the door. "Maybe you can study for that test while you're waiting!"

**. . .**

By the time they had left the house and driven to the school, the clock read _7:09 am._ It was twenty-one minutes away from when the buses started arriving, and when Loki asked what he was supposed to do until then, Thor said, "You can stay in my classroom, if you'd like."

They pulled into the back parking lot, where there was yet to be anyone else. Some other staff members had already arrived, but they were all parked in the front. Thor stopped beside the curb, reached over, and opened the door for Loki. "Go inside and wait for me in the lobby, all right?" he said. "I have to park in the staff's parking area."

Loki gave a little roll of his eyes but got out nonetheless, taking his backpack with him. "I'll see you inside," he said, and added with a smirk, "Mr. Odinson." He closed the door just as Thor began to chuckle.

Loki headed inside as the car rolled off to the front. He stopped by his locker to drop off his backpack and grab his books, then headed to the lobby.

Which he stepped one foot into and then sharply pivoted on his heels and began to walk away.

But alas, he had already been spotted. "Loki!" called the unforgettable voice of Tony Stark.

"Hey, you have a shit ton of explaining to do!" chimed in another. Darcy's voice was nasally, a result from her cold.

Loki was seized by two hands clamping down on his arms, and he was roughly manhandled around until he was facing his two friends. "Good morning," he greeted evenly.

"Uh, yeah, good morning to you too, now tell me why you weren't answering my texts since yesterday." Darcy was glaring, but her nose was red and her cheeks slightly flushed and Loki had to wonder why she didn't stay home. She didn't sound like she was doing any better, either.

"Sorry, my phone died," Loki said with a sheepish rub to the back of his neck. He pictured his phone sitting in his locker, simply turned off with probably fifty unread messages. "By the way, has my car been stolen yet?"

"No, it's still out there. But I don't see why anyone would want to- Ow! Okay, sorry."

"So, wanna tell us why you're here so early?" Tony spoke up, nudging him in the side.

"I don't know, Stark, I can ask you the same thing."

"Your best friend here started texting me at five in the morning, accusing me of kidnapping you," Tony recounted, his eyes narrowing at Darcy for a second. "So she and I agreed to meet at your house, and voila, you weren't there, and neither was your car. We declared you MIA, until I had a brilliant theory and we came here to see if I was right."

"Were you?" Loki asked.

At the same time, the front doors opened and in walked Thor, hand a little ways up and in the process of waving. Then his eyes landed on Tony and Darcy and his expression became worried.

"Yep," Tony answered with a wide grin. "Don't worry, Steve likes to give me rides too." And Loki didn't think of the double entendre until Tony winked.

"Go away," Loki snapped.

"Love you too, sweetheart," Tony said sardonically, looking plenty satisfied of himself through his guffaws. "See you in homeroom!"

"Ah, Loki?" Thor came up to them just as Tony set off for his locker. He looked at Darcy, then Loki, unsure of what to say next.

"So you two..." Darcy started to make vague hand gestures between them. Before they could get too obscene(because this was Darcy, for crying out loud), Loki stilled her hands and nodded.

"Why wasn't I the first to know about this?" Darcy sounded scandalized, putting her hands on her hips for show.

Loki noted the way the tension seemed to leave Thor's shoulders. "I'll tell you everything later," he told Darcy. "I _promise._ But for now, I really need you _not_ to go around telling everybody."

Darcy snorted. "Oh, gee, thanks for the faith in me. Of course I wouldn't tell anyone. You should be more worried about Stark."

Loki thought of him and Mr. Rogers, and mentally answered, _Actually, no I don't._ Before he could say anything out loud, Thor cut in, "Well, it seems that you have your place to stay at for the next forty five minutes." He smiled at Loki. "I'll see you in the afternoon."

Loki smiled back(and pretended not to hear Darcy giggle next to him). "I look forward to acing that test, Mr. Odinson."

**. . .**

The day crawled on by slowly, almost painfully so. Few eventful things happened - Peter complaining constantly about his missing camera, Miss Hill making everyone swim two laps in the beginning of their first swimming class, the history substitute teacher turning out to be decent and letting them work freely for a whole class period.

When eighth period finally came, Loki slunk back to his regular seat in the back. By then, Darcy had managed to squeeze every detail of his encounter with Thor from him, managed through conversations that kept getting cut off during homeroom, gym, lunch, and then finally English.

The lesson was still on literary persuasion, but Loki's thoughts were preoccupied with the test he would be taking after class. When the period finally ended and everyone was dismissed, Darcy patted him on the shoulder and said, "Good luck." Then she also nudged him, which made Loki wonder whether she was talking about the test or Thor.

"You ready?" Thor asked once he was up front. At Loki's nod, he set the test on his desk. "I have a few papers to sort out in the copying room, so I'll be back in a few minutes. I trust you won't cheat?"

"I won't," Loki said with exaggerated innocence. Then he rolled his eyes, as if offended at the question. "Of course I won't, Thor," he murmured.

Thor squeezed his shoulder. "Good boy," he teased with a smile.

"I aim to please, Mr. Odinson," he drawled.

"Concentrate. Just because you're unofficially one of my more favored students doesn't mean I will go any easier on your grades." And Thor left the room, closing the door after him. Loki was a little glad he left; he probably would have become distracted if he'd stayed.

The test was surprisingly easy. Loki found that it took him very little time to read the question and tick off the answer. All that review was definitely paying off - especially yesterday's.

The one where Thor was lavishing him with much attention while he recited questions. Yes, that became quite handy, even though it did cause Loki to blush madly.

He was halfway through the last question - which called for a short explanation as to what the theme of the whole play was - when he heard a bump.

Curious and expecting it to be Thor returning, he looked to the door. There was a square glass window in the middle, and he was just in time to see a dark shape suddenly move, like it had been caught.

Leaving his test and pencil, he walked over to the door and opened it, his expression a slight frown. If there was one thing he hated, it was feeling like he was being watched. And at that moment, every fiber in him screamed that something was wrong.

He looked to his right and caught a glimpse of someone just disappearing around a corner. He was tempted to follow, but then he heard Thor inquire, "Loki? Is everything all right?"

Thor was back, a pile of papers in his arms.

"Yeah," Loki murmured, his eyes still locked on the end of the hallway. "Just... Just thought I saw someone, is all."

"It's one of the custodians, most likely." Thor ushered him back into the classroom, where Loki paused by the door to pull a small set of blinds down, covering the small window. "Are you finished with the test?" Thor asked.

"One question to go, Sir." Loki sat down again, picking up his pencil. He stared down at his answer, trying to remember where his train of thought had left off. A few seconds later, he was writing again, pencil scratching against paper as he finished the last few words.

When he was finally done, he handed it over to his English teacher with a flourish. Then he deigned to fiddle around with the various trinkets on Thor's desk as his test was graded. (He found a small hammer figurine to be the most amusing.)

About ten minutes later, his test was returned, a ninety-seven percent grade written on top. It wasn't perfect, but better than he expected. "What did I miss?" he asked, flipping through the pages and checking for any markings.

He didn't get very far into it before Thor had gathered him into his arms and was kissing him. "The theme still isn't 'have more patience,' " he whispered, and Loki only laughed and kissed him back.

* * *

a/n: Aahhh, somewhat longer chapter to make up for this one's lateness? ; A ; I'm just getting increasingly busier with all the summer work I have to do - all the formal writing's really hindering my creative juices argh  
This one's unedited, just saying. And it's currently four am over here so I'll probably run through it tomorrow, but now I need _sleeeeeeep_. =n=

On a brighter(?) note, the dinner scene is finally up next, and Loki gets to meet his new stepbrother! e u e;;


	15. xv: A Title that Piques Interest

xv. A Title that Piques Interest

Honestly, the best thing that came out of taking that test - aside that now they were finally over _Romeo and Juliet_ and he didn't have to carry around that giant textbook anymore - was that Thor let him stay a little while longer afterward. Who knew that making out with someone could lower stress _that_ much?

"Can I come over this Friday?" Loki asked before he left. He was hovering beside the door, bag slung over his shoulder, still a little flustered, ready to go.

He hadn't forgotten about that dinner. He loved his mother(more than his father, he would admit unabashedly), but he didn't exactly feel the same way about the news of that recent proposal.

He'd never met the man she was marrying before. He didn't even know whether the guy knew of his mother's condition, knew what could happen if he got too atta-

Anyway. His soon-to-be-stepfather would most likely be there, Loki would most likely not like him, and the night would most likely not be pleasant for him. Spending the day prior with Thor would give him something else to think about at that dining table.

"I'm not sure if you will be able to," answered Thor as he straightened the desks back into rows. "It's an in-service day, so while you kids are off school-"

"_Kid_?"

"-I still have to be here." He shot Loki a mildly apologetic look. "Sunday could work, I believe. Would you be able to come then?"

"I can't." Loki groaned, slumping against the wall. "I'm staying at my mother's house for the whole weekend."

"Ah." Loki couldn't see his teacher's face, but from the sound of his voice, he seemed as disappointed as Loki was. Thor turned and walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder and dropping a kiss on his cheek. "We aren't always going to have time for each other," he said gently. "You know that, right?"

Of course he did. "I just like being with you," Loki replied, and stole a kiss on his lips before the other man could do anything. He smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"I-" Thor turned away and sneezed into the crook of his elbow. "Yes," he said, facing Loki again with a somewhat frazzled expression, "I'll see you tomorrow." He sniffed. "Or maybe not."

Loki rolled his eyes playfully. "Don't get sick; that'll severely limit the things I can do with you."

"And we can't have that, can we?" Thor chuckled. "Go home, Loki. I will see you tomorrow."

**. . .**

As Loki expected(and inwardly dreaded), Thor wasn't in school the next day. He and Darcy stopped by the English classroom to say good morning(an idea that Darcy proposed with a waggle of her eyebrows), only to find a woman occupying the teacher's desk instead.

"Where is Th-" Loki bit down on his own tongue, horrified at himself for almost calling their teacher by his first name.

He thought they must have stood there for two minutes straight just staring at the substitute, Loki with eyes the size of saucers and Darcy trying hard not to laugh, until the woman finally said, "Are you okay?"

"We'd like to know if Mr. Odinson happens to be here today," Darcy interjected smoothly, smiling the sweetest smile she could. "We had a question for him."

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Odinson isn't here today. He's called in sick, I believe."

"All right, thank you." Darcy gave another flash of her blinding smile before she forcibly led Loki out of the classroom.

"I told him not to get sick," Loki muttered.

"Sorry to break it to you, sweetie, but you cannot simply order the germs not to attack our extremely hot teacher," said Darcy, and, after a sharp elbow to the side, added in a teasing whisper, "your _boyfriend._"

"You're making me regret telling you about this," Loki complained, pushing her away.

Darcy only cackled. "Oh, yeah, and that reminds me!" They both stepped into their homeroom, automatically finding the two seats in the back that they had declared as unofficially theirs. "We never did go to that pudding place. Can we go tomorrow? _Please_?"

"It's too late," interjected a third voice, and from in front of them, Tony Stark turned around. He wore a lazy smirk on his face. "I already took him."

"That implies _so_ many things," Darcy remarked.

"No, we ate pudding together in front of the library," Loki politely objected. And this was, of course, before he realized what Darcy had said and shot her a weird look.

"It does." The girl shrugged. "But dirty implications aside, I still want to eat there with you. I mean, how long's it been since we last hung out?"

Loki was about to tell her that actually, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to make it, Thor might decide to call him, but her words made him stop. How long _had_ it been since they were with each other? "Tomorrow, then," he said with a brief smile.

"Wow, you actually smiled for once, Princess!" Stark exclaimed, and Loki kicked his chair. "Can I come too?"

"After you called me 'Princess?' "

"Aw, c'mon, Darcy said you never minded whenever she called you that."

"That's because she's my friend. And she...is Darcy."

"I thought we were friends, too?"

"Friend, by definition, is someone whom you have a mutual affection for. That would make Mr. Odinson's dog my friend, but that doesn't mean I let him come along for pudding."

The next day would find all three of them at the "pudding place," as Darcy had dubbed it.

Despite his hesitance with letting Tony tag along, it seemed that Darcy apparently had taken a liking to him and they were actually sort-of-maybe-somewhat friends - which, incidentally, was much farther ahead than Loki's current relationship with Tony. She was the first to cave in with a furtive offer of, "Well, maybe it wouldn't be too bad if he came."

He wondered exactly how much they bonded during the time span of the day before. The bit where Darcy had told Tony about her habit of calling Loki "Princess" was troubling. (When _did_ that start, anyway- Oh, right. Disney movies and a picture of him riding a horse.)

But it went _well_.

What had Loki been expecting? Oh, not much. Arguing. Snark. Maybe some thrown gops of pudding landing on Tony's face when Loki finally had enough of him. Snark. More arguing. More mentions of embarrassing things Darcy did to him and effectively giving Tony the privilege to start doing it too.

What happened instead?

Stark pays for the pudding. He cracks jokes about the uptight middle school cheerleader sitting next to them, oblivious to everything except the phone screen she has her eyes plastered on. He nudges Loki's foot under the table - either trying to instigate some footsie or he really disliked Loki's shoes. And, the most surprising thing of all, when someone walks past them(a senior from their school, Loki thought) and hisses a none-too-nice word to Loki, Tony sticks out his foot and casually whistles while the guy goes sprawling.

When Darcy had already climbed into the car and Tony was heading for his own, he asked Loki, "So we're _officially_ friends now, right?"

"When was it not official?" retorted Loki, but he was smiling all the same, and he would never admit out loud, but in an alternate universe where he wasn't infatuated with Thor, he and Tony might have-

"You're late."

Loki toed off his shoes near the welcome mat, glancing up at his father. He noted his attire: White button up, black jacket, dress pants. With luck, he was planning to head out somewhere. "I had to drop Darcy off," Loki said.

"Two hours after your classes ended?"

Brushing past him, Loki headed for the kitchen, grabbing some grapes and popping them into his mouth. "We had a project."

"Usually you remember to call."

"Maybe I simply forgot."

"Loki. I am trying to talk to you."

He decided to forego food - he'd been eating like a pig about an hour ago, anyway - and left for his room, leaving Laufey downstairs. His stepmother wasn't in the house, which was a bonus. He went to his room, locked the door, and collapsed on his bed. A few seconds later, he heard the sound of their garage opening, then closing. After that, the house was silent.

So they'd left. Well, that was fine with Loki.

After checking out his window to make sure they were really gone, he took out his phone and pressed nine. It rung for a few seconds, until Loki finally heard someone pick up and say blearily, "Hello?"

"Thor?" He can't help but sound worried, because Thor certainly didn't sound that nasally the last time they saw each other.

"Oh, Loki." There was some more rustling, then a chuckle. "Sorry, illness was simply inevitable."

"I love you, though, so all is forgiven."

It came out of his mouth so..._smoothly_ that Loki didn't have time to consider his words before the silence on the other line further proved what an absolute _idiot_ he could be.

"Loki?" Thor finally said, and his tone was unidentifiable.

Loki cleared his throat and trying to act like he didn't just drop the L-word so casually like that.

But had it been that bad to warrant that kind of reaction?

He looked down at his socked feet and wiggled his toes. "How are you feeling?" he asked instead.

There was a pause before the reply came. "As fine as one could feel when they are sick."

"Good," Loki said, forcing himself to sound bright. "I was going to offer to come over and make you some soup in nothing but an apron, but it seems that you're feeling better already." He smirked despite no one there to see it, falling back on his bed languidly.

"On second thought," said Thor, like Loki had hoped for him to, "I think I am suddenly in dire need of your assistance."

"Ah, I've already changed my mind," Loki said cheekily. "Although," he added, "I'd have no objections with helping you on Monday."

"Why not today?"

"Can't. Have to pack up for tomorrow." That reminded him. With a sigh, he heaved himself off of his bed and pulled out a duffel bag he'd stuffed underneath, holding the phone between his shoulder and ear.

"At least your throat doesn't feel like it's on fire," Thor was saying. There was a cough. "It hurts even just to swallow."

It almost made him laugh, the way Thor sounded, as if he was offended that the pain dared affect him. Maybe he didn't get sick often. "Then why are you talking to me?" he said, tossing a shirt into his bag.

"I like talking to you."

"Oh, I'm worth the pain?"

"Very much so."

"Get off the phone before you hurt yourself."

"I'm trying to prolong this until Monday."

"Haha. Funny."

"And if I'm serious?"

Loki chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "Then I'm serious, too. I don't want you losing your voice because of me."

"...I can lose my voice?"

Yes, maybe Thor really didn't get sick often.

After a solemn answer that yes, he really could lose his voice, plus some cajoling and perhaps a little bit of bribing, Loki finally got Thor to promise that he wouldn't purposely strain himself. And, even though he was the one who made the call in the first place, he ended up telling him to get some rest instead of being on the phone.

"Loki?" Thor asked, just as Loki's finger was hovering above the 'End Call' button.

Pressing the phone back to his ear, Loki hummed in acknowledgment.

"I love you too," Thor said, and hung up.

Loki may or may not have stayed there for the next ten minutes, listening to the sound of the dial tone but hearing those same three words ringing in his ears, over and over again.

**. . .**

With his father taking his work more seriously than his son, Loki grew up closer to his mother. And while eventually all three of them would become a certain level of detached from each other that none could ever remember fond childhood memories without the addition of the ones of separation, Loki still had a soft spot for her.

She was a frail woman. Loki's grandmother once told him, in some sort of twisted humor, that she was surprised she managed to stay upright during her pregnancy.

For her, Loki learned how to cook. It took several hours of scouring through eHow articles and online diagrams detailing what each cooking utensil was and did, but eventually, he knew enough to make dinner for her whenever he was over. It became a sort of tradition.

So on Saturday night, after he arrived at his mother's house and unpacked his things, he began to prepare that night's meal. "Are you cooking for us tonight, Loki?" she asked like she always would, leaning against the counter and watching her son with a smile on her face.

"Lasagna," Loki said, glancing up at her and returning the smile. "This time, I won't burn it, I promise."

"Good." She laughed. "I'm sure it will turn out fine, dear." Then the telephone rang, making Loki startle and almost drop his wooden spoon.

His mother picked up the phone first, and he watched from the corner of his eye as she spoke to the person on the other line. "Oh," she said afterwards, as she was setting the phone back down, "it seems that your future step-brother may not be able to make it, after all..."

Loki's eye twitched. "So I'm making five extra servings of this for nothing?"

"He said that he's still recovering from a cold, and he doesn't want to bring it here and risk us getting sick as well..."

"Oh, yeah, there's a bug going around," Loki said, thinking of Thor. "So is he coming or not?"

"He said he isn't sure." His mother sounded disappointed.

While Loki didn't find this idea particularly thrilling, he wanted to punch this future step-brother of his for letting his mother down.

"We'll see if he arrives, Loki," she said, as if sensing his irritation. "And if not, then that will just mean more food for us." She ruffled his hair and smiled.

Loki simply looked at her for a few seconds, before sighing. "Okay," he relented, and turned back to his lasagna.

Two hours passed, and by then, the food had been ready and the table was set for only two. "Hm," said his mother thoughtfully, her eyebrows drawn together in a frown. "Maybe he can join us sometime tomorrow, then."

Remember Loki's urge to punch this faceless and nameless future stepbrother of his? Yeah, it just increased.

"Like you said, he probably didn't want us getting sick," Loki said, and thought, _Or maybe he's just an asshole._

Truth be told, Loki had always wanted a sibling. But, you know, one he would actually be able to stand.

He and his mother had both sat down to eat when the doorbell rang. Immediately, his mother sprang up, her green eyes bright. "He did come after all!" she exclaimed. "Loki, would you mind getting the door?" She was already rushing off to the kitchen, probably to get more plates and utensils.

"Be careful," he couldn't help from calling after her. He stood and walked to the door, clearing his throat and adjusting his clothes before finally pulling it open to finally come face-to-face with-

-his English teacher?

Loki blinked and stared. "...Thor?"

Thor looked back at him. "Loki?"

Back inside, they both heard Loki's mother calling, "Thor! I'm so glad you were able to make it after all! Come in, dear! Loki's made dinner for us."

* * *

a/n: The whole dinner scene was going to be in this chapter but then that first part took too long ugh

Regarding updates! I swear, as soon as we get through these first couple days of August, my essays will finally be done and out of the way and I can have more time to write, the updates will start coming a little more faster again. x_x

also! **Durch-Leiden-Freude** has started to make a comic version of this story. ; o ;  
durch-leiden-freude. deviantart art/The-Fundamental-Theorem-of- Shakespeare-Act-1-317074630  
(remove the spaces~)

everyone needs to go see it right now because it is pure awesome, okay  
so go see it! :O

and lastly, OP? the one who made the request that this monster of a fic came from? If you happen to be reading, I really hope you don't mind that this is turning into a huge mess of asdf;ljkasdg


	16. xvi: Euclidean Geometry

xvi. Euclidean Geometry

It was needless to say that Loki had very severely mixed feelings about this situation. Part of him was saying, _This is some kind of prank, right?_ and another part was saying, _Oh my god_, _what is going on._ Meanwhile, a _large_ part of him was saying, _Why is my teacher sitting across the dining table at me?_

Initially, he had thought that maybe it was just someone who looked freakishly like his teacher. But then his mother came over and said, "Loki, this is Thor Odinson. Thor, this is my son, Loki. You'll be stepbrothers soon, so I wanted you two to finally meet each other." Then she smiled, completely oblivious to the fact that whoops, there went Loki's heart. (And possibly his sanity.)

He was starting to regret not being more curious about his own mother's marriage. But, in his defense, she never really mentioned that the man she was marrying had a son, and the fact that that son was none other than his own English teacher.

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds. Loki could feel Thor's eyes on him, but, for the life of him, could not muster enough courage to look up at the older man.

He felt his mother nudge his arm slightly.

"Hi," he finally forced himself to say. The word barely made it past his gritted teeth, and he probably sounded constipated. He looked up in one jerky movement, only to freeze again when his eyes met Thor's. "It's...a pleasure to meet you...?" The sentence sounded a little more like a question than anything, but his mother didn't seem to mind.

For the longest of times, Thor just stood there, staring back at him. _Say something,_ Loki inwardly shouted at him, because if they were going to act calm and pretend like they were _not_ well on their way to becoming stepbrothers, this was not the way to go.

"I th- I- Uh, you...too?"

Brilliant, Thor. How _eloquent_ for someone who supposedly was a master of literature.

Loki's mother smiled again, clearly pleased at the exchange. She patted Loki on the shoulder, and then began to head back to the dining room. "We were just about to start eating - I'd thought you weren't going to make it! But you came just in time. Loki here made lasagna for tonight."

Evidently, she wanted them to follow. Sorry, but Loki's legs were having a bit of a hard time moving.

Thor was the first to move. Loki watched as he finally tore himself from the doorstep and came in. For a fleeting moment, their shoulders brushed. Two steps in, Thor turned back to Loki, gestured to the dining room, and started walking.

"Wait, Thor!" Loki hissed as his legs finally became willing to cooperate. He moved a little too fast and stumbled, but thankfully, Thor caught him.

There was another awkward silence as Loki's brain briefly short-circuited. He looked down at the hand on his arm. Then up. Stared. "What are you doing here?" he asked, probably more harshly than necessary.

Thor's answer was strained, hushed - whether that was just from his cold or not, Loki wasn't sure. He sounded every bit as panicked as Loki did. "I could ask _you_ the same thing."

"This is my mother's house!"

"And also my father's fiancée's house!"

Loki jerked away from him, eyes darting around the room, as if the furniture was going to suddenly give him some answers. Of course, they didn't. "You're really my new stepbrother?" he finally said, his voice small and a little squeaky towards the end.

Thor opened his mouth, seemed to think against what he'd originally planned to say, and shut it again.

"Boys?" came the inquiring voice of Loki's mother.

"I don't think I should be here." Thor swallowed, taking a step back. "Mrs. Laufeyson?"

Loki's mother emerged from the other room, her expression concerned. "Is something the matter here?" she asked, her eyes flitting over to Loki as if accusing him already.

"No, everything is well." Thor cleared his throat. "Well, except that I'm suddenly feeling very nauseous. I really hate to do this, but I think it would be best if I took my leave before the sickness gets to you two..."

"Oh, it's all right, I understand! Perhaps we can do this some other time." She sounded disappointed, but her face betrayed no such emotion. "But I don't think you should be driving if you're not feeling well. I'm sure Loki would-"

"No!" Thor interjected.

Okay, yeah, that stung a little bit. Loki tried not to appear affected.

"I mean, I've already wasted so much of your time already," continued Thor haltingly. "Besides, I have driven in worse conditions, so I'm sure I'll be fine."

"You should not take the risk. Really, Loki wouldn't mind." She gave her son a pointed look. "Would you, sweetheart?"

_Yes - a million times and then once more for good measure,_ Loki thought. But he was rarely able to refuse his mother. "No, of course not," he said, and forced a smile. At least they would have some time together?

Oh, wait, that's not really a good thing right now.

Thor looked pained. "I can drive, really," he insisted. "I would hate to trouble you. Plus, how would Loki be able to return here?"

"Oh, all right," Loki's mother finally conceded. Ah, such were the worries of a mother. (Stepmother? Future stepmother?) Loki could feel the tension leave his body, relieved that- "Loki, at least walk him to his car."

If Loki had a computer that was conveniently placed in front of him, he would have done a keyboard smash. He tried to gauge how long it would take for them to make it to Thor's car. Hopefully he'd parked close to the front.

He tried to sneak a glance at Thor, but it seemed that his teacher was already staring at him. He flustered unintentionally.

"I- All right." Thor smiled, but Loki easily saw through it, saw how forced it was. If he tilted his head, it looked a little more like a grimace.

And so they were off.

Loki walked a few steps ahead of Thor. He didn't slow down - Thor was fully capable of catching up to him, which meant that since he didn't, then he didn't want to. That was fine. Loki needed to think of exactly what to say.

Thor had parked on the opposite side of the street. (The neighbors weren't exactly courteous, nor were they a small family. They had about five cars, which obviously didn't fit in their driveway.) Loki finally reached it and simply stood off to the side, waiting for Thor to arrive.

God, what was he going to say?

It was one of those rare instances in his life that he had no idea what to say. As if it hadn't been bad enough before, now they were about to become _stepbrothers_? What did they have, three months until the wedding? Four?

_That's enough time for you to graduate,_ chimed a voice in the back of his head, but that didn't really make him feel any better.

The worst thing was probably the fact that he wanted to tell Thor that he wouldn't care. Maybe they would find some away around this, maybe, by some slim chance, the wedding was called off, but if they _were_ to become stepbrothers, then Loki honestly wouldn't care. It kind of scared him, the way it was so easy to think like that.

Was that wrong? Was it wrong to love Thor to the extent that he was completely willing to ignore anything else?

He heard the crunch of gravel as Thor finally drew up next to him. Loki took a deep breath, bracing himself, then opened his mouth to vocalize his thoughts. But Thor spoke up first.

"I think we should spend some time...away from each other."

Blunt and terse.

Loki tried not to bristle, but it was hard. Ah, so that's how it was going to be. "How?" he asked, letting out a humorless laugh. "You _teach_ me."

He saw Thor's fingers twitch, and a flicker of _something_ across his face. His expression was unreadable, but Loki forced himself not to dwell on it, averting his eyes to the car. For some reason, he remembered the way he'd sat there, while Thor fixed up his elbow.

Such fond memories, he thought dryly.

"You understand what I mean," Thor was saying.

Loki leaned against the side of the car, not quite sulking but not quite happy either. "Do I?" he mumbled, sounding more petulant than he would have liked.

He heard Thor sigh. "It will not be permanent," came the assurance. The _Yet_ wasn't spoken, but it was implied. "Only until things...clear up a little more."

"A little more?" Loki echoed. He shook his head, looking up at the older man, expression one of incredulity. "How could things possibly be any clearer? Everything is laid out right there in front of us!"

"Time," Thor revised tightly. "I meant, I need time. To get used to this. Because in case you haven't noticed, Loki, I am still your teacher and you are still my student. We are romantically involved. Now we have just found out that our parents are getting married and sooner or later, we will also be _stepbrothers_. You may have already digested all of this, but I've yet to come to terms with it!"

That hurt, considerably more than that earlier request. Thor had never raised his voice at him before.

Loki's hands curled into fists. "Of course I noticed that," he snapped. By this point, it was hard to keep his voice hushed; he looked around to make sure that no one happened to be looking out their window and was watching them. There were no onlookers - they were alone.

"Why are you lashing out like this?" Thor's eyebrows were furrowed, but there was no trace of anger on his face. He only looked affronted. "I merely asked for some time. Perhaps... Perhaps I will find a solution to this."

"Yes, perhaps you will," Loki said bitterly, pushing himself off the car. "I wish you the best of luck with that." He made to start walking back to the house, but Thor caught him by his arm, grip tight.

"Please don't do this." Those eyes were frustratingly pleading. "Do you not remember that I told you I loved you, Loki? That hasn't changed." His grip loosened, and he lowered his arm to hold Loki's hand. "All I ask is that you're patient with me. Please."

Loki half contemplated pushing him away, but he really couldn't. At the sound of Thor's voice, the evident plea in his words, whatever was left of the irrational bout of anger left him. Looking down at their hands, he couldn't deny that his eyes were starting to sting.

He really couldn't catch a break, could he? Was it too much to ask to simply be with Thor, without any of the excess problems?

He exhaled shakily. "All right," he conceded, quiet.

Thor exhaled in relief, taking advantage of Loki's unguarded state and pulling him in for a tight hug. "Thank you." His words were muffled against his shoulder, and Loki laughed breathlessly, patting his back. "I'm sorry for raising my voice at you," he said when he pulled away. His eyes had softened and his expression was apologetic.

Loki ran a hand through his hair, wishing he was able to push away his problems in the same manner. "No, I was being childish," he said with a shake of his head. He dropped his hand, sighed. "I should- I should go back, my mother's probably wondering what's taking so long."

"Of course." Thor nodded, but for the next few minutes, neither of them moved.

Loki wanted Thor to hold him again.

But Thor instead only climbed into his car and turned the engine on. Stepping back onto the sidewalk, Loki watched as the window was rolled down.

"I'll see you on Monday," Loki said, at the same time Thor said, "I love you, Loki."

It made his cheeks burn red to the point where it was almost ridiculous.

Thor was grinning, but it was sort of bittersweet. He gave a wave in Loki's direction, before the window was rolled back up and then the car was heading down the road.

And Loki stood there, watching the car turn the corner and eventually disappear from his sight. It wasn't until he saw his mother appear at the window, gesturing for him to come back inside, that he finally moved.

_Spend some time away from each other,_ he thought as he crossed the road.

He had been doing that before he realized that Thor returned his feelings. He could certainly start doing it again.

**. . .**

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
how'd the dinner go_

To: Darcy  
From: Loki  
Rather uneventful.

_To: Bitch  
From: Darcy  
and how was ur future stepbrother?_

**. . .**

For the longest of times, Loki stared down at the text.

**. . .**

To: Darcy  
From: Loki  
He's actually quite charming.

* * *

a/n: see, fast update! C: ...with a twinge of angst, whoops. this was more daunting than I'd anticipated.

I know a few of you have spotted some of them already, but in these past few chapters, there have been several little details that hint to the plot, hurr. /slapped

AND. I'm not sure if you guys got the memo, but I'm so grateful to you all for your support in this story. ; A ; Seriously, you have no idea how happy I am to know that I actually have a purpose, even if it may just be a small one. Cx Thank you, everyone!


	17. xvii: It

xvii. It

Sunday was, for a lack of a better description, a drag. Loki woke up at five a.m., which was irritatingly early. One of the main reasons he looked forward to the weekend was for the fact that he would be able to sleep in - the night before would usually be spent roaming the internet.

It was around lunchtime that fatigue started encroaching him. "Did you catch that bug, too?" his mother asked when she came downstairs to find Loki sprawled on the couch, arm splayed over his flustered face.

She received a small groan as a reply, plus a tired, "God, I hope not."

All hope was crushed when the sniffles started to settle in. _Probably from all those times I kissed him,_ Loki thought grudgingly, thinking of how many times he'd come into skin contact with Thor. He gratefully accepted the glass of water that was offered to him, finishing it off within a matter of seconds. At least his throat wasn't hurting, too.

"Are you and Thor all right?" his mother suddenly spoke up. She was staring off somewhere to the side, voice soft and tinged with a little concern, but it was an innocent question.

It still didn't fail to send Loki's heart racing in a brief panic. He stared purposely up at the suddenly-interesting ceiling, shifting around to displace the damp strands of hair that was clinging to the back of his neck. You know what he hated more than humid afternoons? Sweat. He had already taken a shower that morning, but it was becoming more and more tempting to take another, just for the sake of feeling the cool water sliding off of his body...

"As in, how well we're getting along, or how we're both feeling?" he asked, eyes flickering over to her to gauge her expression. She hadn't moved. Part of him wished she meant the latter.

"How well you two are getting along," she clarified, and oh, well, there went that hope. "He looked tense last night."

"I think it's because he was sick. He gave me his number before he left, though, and this morning he told me he was feeling better." That was a lie. Loki _had_ found himself typing up a simple text message asking if Thor was feeling any better - simple concern, right? Yet all of those times, his finger had hovered uncertainly above the "Send" button, then he erased the whole thing altogether. Uneasiness was still heavy in his gut.

"Well," his mother gave a breathy chuckle, finally turning her gaze on him. The genuine relief in her eyes sent guilt into the already-conflicting pit of emotions within him. "That's better than you two going at each other's throats, I guess."

Was this what it was like to be a teenage girl with raging hormones?

Loki swore he would never make fun of them again.

"Why would you th-" He interrupted himself with a loud cough, which was almost immediately followed by a throbbing in the back of his head. _Shit... _

"I think you should go back." He felt his mother's hand stroking the back of his head, as if she knew where the pain was. Mother's instinct? "To your dad's, that is. And don't you have any homework due tomorrow?"

"It's the stupid bug," Loki groused under his breath. He shifted closer to his mother, pressing close to her side and wrapping his arms around her frail form. "And no, I already finished everything."

Then: "Sorry if I get you sick, too."

His mother chuckled. "What's on your mind, sweetheart?" Her arms came up around his shoulders and held him back.

Loki exhaled slowly, relaxing into the comforting embrace. There came an odd urge to open his mouth and tell her everything - it wouldn't really _help_ anything, at least none that he could think of, but it honestly felt like there was a huge anvil resting at the pit of his stomach, and somehow, it would only go away once he could finally tell someone _everything._

His mother patted his back, as if understanding the lack of a reply. "I'll call your dad." She pressed a kiss to his temple before rising and disappearing into the kitchen.

Loki silently thanked her.

**. . .**

But he didn't go straight home.

Well, he _had_ been en route to his dad's, but then Loki drove past the bakery and thought of Darcy. With his mind considerably cleared now, although his nose was still a little stuffy and kind of made him sound like he was pinching his nose while he talked, he parked the car and took out his phone.

If there was someone he could spill his guts to and trust to catch said guts, then shove them back into him while also comforting him, it would be Darcy. Knowing her as long as Loki did, she would do all that and give him a little slap to the face for good measure.

"Where are you?" he asked once he heard her pick up.

"Huh? Oh, hey, Loki." There was a bit of shuffling before her voice returned, clearer. "Wow, you sound like-"

"Yeah, I feel like shit too," Loki grumbled.

"I was going to make a witty comparison between you and a duck, but sure, shit sounds good too." Darcy sounded like she was having a hard time trying to contain laughter.

She always got a kick out of seeing Loki miserable...

"But I'm at home, why? You back yet?"

"I got sick, so I'm coming home early." He squinted at the front sign of the bakery. "I _am_ home, actually."

"So you wanna hang out, or what?" Darcy asked, saying the exact words Loki wanted to hear. "You can come over if you want, but Tony's coming over to give me the notes I missed on the day was out, because a certain _someone_ who shall not be named forgot to. Hint: It was you."

"Ever subtle." Loki rolled his eyes. "Tell Stark he doesn't need to anymore."

He put the car in reverse and began backing out of the parking lot, on his way to Darcy's.

"Actually, he's-"

"I'll bring mine. I probably take better notes than him, anyway."

"It's that important, huh?"

"Kind of."

He heard a chuckle, the sound making him pause. Unless Darcy suddenly decided to undergo a three-second procedure to deepen her voice, there was someone else on the line.

"Who else is on the line?" he finally said curtly.

"Took you long enough, Princess," came a third voice.

"Since when did we do three way phone calls?" Loki said accusingly, question intended for Darcy, but she never got to reply.

"I was calling to let her know I was pulling into her neighborhood, but then _you_ started calling too, so it just happened," Tony said ever so helpfully. "Now I'm in her driveway, so...kind of redundant for you to tell me not to come _now_."

"Darcy," Loki began, voice hard and instructive, "lock your front door and fence, then go through the back. I'll be there in two minutes, and you can sneak to my car."

"Hey!"

"I need to talk to her. Alone."

"Yeah, well, too bad, 'cause apparently this is important stuff and I don't like to be left out of things."

"It's none of your business."

"I thought we already went over this? I am your _friend_, Loki, which means that I _care_. I know you have a reputation of being an ice queen around here, or maybe Darcy really _is_ your only friend, because you clearly don't understand that concept."

"Maybe I just, oh, I don't know, _don't want to tell you?_"

Loki ended the call with a huff, then sniffed. God_damn_ the flu.

He deliberately parked two blocks away from Darcy's house, then walked the rest of the way. He reckoned he would have been able to spot Stark's flashy car from over a mile away.

Tony and Darcy were standing in the front, and Loki trudged up to them. By then, the anger(irrational and probably so easily brought on thanks to his sickness, Loki reasoned) had mostly faded off.

"Sorry," he and Tony said at the same time.

"I need to get this on camera," Darcy said, the worry already leaving her features and being replaced by amusement.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want." Tony shrugged. "I like to pry and never really realized that...that can get annoying."

Loki snorted. "And you're a self-proclaimed genius?"

"Genius," Tony corrected. "Everyone knows it, so it's not really self-proclaimed." He eyed Loki for a few seconds, squinting a little, as if trying to gauge something. "You don't want a make up hug or anything now, right?"

"I think I'd rather flay myself alive," Loki deadpanned.

"You two are like an old married couple," Darcy said good-naturedly as she led them back up the porch. "Well, maybe an old married couple close to a divorce and some restraining orders, but whatever." She opened the front door and went in, followed by Tony.

Loki paused at the doorstep.

"Thor is my new stepbrother," he said.

Tony actually stumbled and almost ran into Darcy, who had frozen in her steps.

Slowly, they both turned to look at him, expressions in various stages of surprise, confusion, and masked amusement. That last one, by the way, was only evident on Tony's face. Bastard.

Loki gave a helpless shrug, eyes flickering to random spots in the room - anywhere but the faces of his two friends. Blurting it out like that...it didn't bring the relief he was hoping to feel.

"Can I come inside?" he asked, nudging Tony's shin a little.

Boy, this was going to be awkward.

**. . .**

So he told them-

-_everything._

Sometime after he finished, last sentence trailing and a little unsure, Darcy said, "Does this make you want to make drunk? _I_'m not the one whose boyfriend is also my stepbrother, but damn, Loki..."

"We have school," Loki replied dryly. "And do you not remember what happened the _last_ time we got drunk? I don't feel like sending anyone else to the hospital, sorry."

"So it _was_ you two who did that to Mr. Banner." Tony shook his head, clicking his tongue in disappointment. "We're stuck with a stupid substitute for who-knows-how-long 'cause of you guys."

"It was Loki's idea," Darcy said, ignoring Loki's indignant, "It was _not_!" She quickly steered the conversation back to the original topic: "So, uh, what are you gonna do?"

"We're trying to figure something out," Loki answered, purposely leaving out the part where they were 'taking a break.' It was heavy enough on his mind, he didn't need to hear it out loud again, too.

"If I were you," Tony began thoughtfully, "I'd use it to my advantage, you know? Pass off making out in your room as 'brotherly bonding' or whatever."

"We actually want to..._come out_, or however you want to put that. I was thinking that overcoming the whole teacher-student thing was feasible, but I really do not want to do that until I graduate. And by then, my mother and his father would already be married, we'd already be stepbrothers, and it would just be-" Loki cut himself off with an aggravated sigh. "We'll figure something out." _Soon,_ he added hopefully.

(God, he was already missing him.)

"So are you still doing staying after school with him?" Darcy said a few seconds later.

Loki grabbed the nearest cushion and tried to smother a frustrated yell.

(Yell, not scream, because screams are girly.)

**. . .**

_"Are you sure?" A fingertip traced down his cheekbone, along his jaw, tilted his chin up, and then Thor was kissing him. _

_"You ask a question, expecting an answer," Loki replied breathlessly, able to speak once Thor pulls away to start pressing light kisses down his neck; Loki feels the roughness of his stubble against his skin, and he shivers, "but then you kiss me and effectively render me speechless."  
_

_"Bad habit," Thor murmured, unrelenting with his actions. His hands, settled on Loki's waist, pull him further into his lap until they're flush against each other. "My question still stands," he reminds the younger man.  
_

_"You asked me the same thing before our first time, before I moved in with you, and at the altar." Loki chuckled, easily capturing his lips for another chaste kiss. "When are you going to realize that my answer will always be yes?"  
_

_"You didn't say that at the altar," Thor said, mockingly affronted, and Loki felt him smile into the kiss, "you said 'I do.' "  
_

_"Excuse my poor memory, I just mostly remember how hard you were kissing me afterwards."  
_

_The hands moved from his hips to the sides of his thighs. Thor's hands, slightly calloused from how much writing he did, were warm against his skin.  
_

_"You liked it," he returned with a smirk.  
_

_"Mm, can't deny that, I guess." Loki rolled his hips lazily into Thor's, the friction sending a warm spike of pleasure up his spine.  
_

_Thor groaned into his neck, the sound only adding to Loki's growing arousal. "Suck," he ordered huskily, tapping two fingers against Loki's lip.  
_

_Loki was more than happy to comply, taking the digits into his mouth with a soft moan. His eyes never left Thor's, always maintaining contact as he ran his tongue over his fingers, coating them thoroughly with saliva.  
_

_When Thor deemed it enough - or when_ _he finally became too impatient - he pulled them away from Loki's mouth. He__ reached back and spread Loki's ass, tracing his entrance and then slowly slipping a finger inside. "How are you always so _tight_?" Thor nipped at his lover's shoulder as he continued to prepare him, not taking too long before he had three in._

_It was almost routine. It really did surprise Thor - but pleasantly so - that Loki could be so tight each time, no matter how many times they did this.  
_

_"Stop teasing," Loki whined, as if on cue, and rocked back against his hand. His hips stuttered when Thor's fingers accidentally brushed his prostate.  
_

_"I want you to be able to _walk_ tomorrow," Thor said with a chuckle, but he could never really deny anything of Loki. He withdrew his fingers to align his cock with Loki's entrance, slowly pressing himself into his lover, trying to go slow for the sake of not contradicting his own words.  
_

_There were times when their love making was slow and gentle, when Thor got to hold Loki close and feel every tremor running through his body with each movement of his hips, but it became apparent that tonight was not one of those times.  
_

_Loki sank down abruptly, and Thor lost hold of his control. He growled, almost warningly, against Loki's lips, before roughly gripping Loki's ass, guiding him up until his cock was almost the whole way out, then slamming him back down.  
_

_A strained moan escaped Loki's lips as he clutched Thor's shoulders and tried to steady himself as the pace was set: hard and fast.  
_

_It wasn't long before he was close already, that coil in his stomach tight and tightening and threatening to snap loose and push him over the edge.  
_

_"I love you," Thor was muttering in between small bites on Loki's collarbone, littering bruises that were surely going to be dark and noticeable the next day.  
_

_And Loki returned the sentiment, fervent, breathless, and his head lolled back as he was fucked roughly. A litany of pleas and curses and Thor's name rolled off his tongue, and then he was seeing white, white, white - nothing but white.  
_

_And then, as he felt Thor finish inside him with one last shove of his hips, a wave of affection threatened to overwhelm him.  
_

_(And then, as he and Thor collapse on their bed, sweaty and breathing hard and kissing each other languidly in the post-coital warmth, things felt almost too good to be true.)  
_

__**. . .**

****Loki woke up the next morning with the dream fresh in his mind and a strange, fluttering feeling in his chest.

It took him a little longer than usually, but eventually he dragged himself out of bed - and his mind from that tempting scene in his dream - to get ready for school.

He wanted to purposely succumb to the effects of the sickness and stay home, but later that day, he would be glad he didn't.

* * *

a/n: I'd like to apologize for taking so long with this - I hit a bit of a roadblock for a while - that and for me, school starts in approximately six days from now. which means slow updates like this might happen several more times as homework suddenly comes into play. x_x

BUT. dream sex to make up for it? wow, I was beet red while I wrote that. ; v ;

ALSO, all of you need to come here so I can hug you because _we broke 400 reviews holy craaap_ ; A;)/


	18. xviii: Percent Error

a/n: forever grovels at your feet because wow, this is way late.

Shameless smut in this chapter. the author has a major teacher/student kink, whoops

* * *

xviii. Percent Error

A correction: Loki would _mostly_ be glad for not missing the next day.

Foreshadowing aside, his morning really did go rather pleasant. When he arrived at school, he actually managed to get a decent parking spot. In other words, he was blessed with the wonderful chance to _not_ have to lug his backpack that far of a distance. Given, it was a small miracle, but really, it warranted celebration.

"You look like you've just walked out of hell," Darcy later observed, when they had met up at his locker. "But strangely," she added, casting him a suspicious glance, "you look like you enjoyed the trip."

"I'm not out of hell yet," Loki said pointedly.

Darcy ignored that. "Mr. Banner's finally back today, you know," she said brightly. She bumped him suggestively in the shoulder. "You should finally apologize to the poor guy."

"If I am, then you're coming with me." Loki swatted her hand away. The action was almost routine; Darcy sure did like to elbow-nudge people. Loki made a face at her. "It was you who got me drunk in the first place, after all."

"It was _your_ idea to mess with his chair!"

"...No, Darcy, that was yours, too."

"Shut up, no it wasn't."

Loki fished the rest of his books out of his locker, taking them into his arms with a grunt. He knew it would have probably been a smarter idea to just carry around his backpack, but that only happened whenever he had swimming so he had somewhere to hide his things. Theft wasn't that common, but it happened regularly enough that everyone was pretty paranoid. Otherwise, his shoulders couldn't manage carrying a two-ton weight everyday.

(Yeah, that was an exaggeration. But damn, that science book was heavy.)

He shut his locker and glanced at Darcy, checking if she already had her things, only to catch her staring at him with a pensive expression. "..._Was_ it?" she thought out loud, her nose wrinkled in thought.

"We were both piss drunk. I'm surprised I remember any part of it at all."

"I remember seeing you running around with a helmet."

"...Maybe you were high, too, Darcy. You're such a bad influence."

"I wasn't high! Seriously," Darcy's voice was semi-serious and her face equally as so, "I'm pretty sure you wore that helmet - the one with the horns?" Here she paused, and a grin stretched slowly over her face. "You were horny," she cackled. "Horny, get it?"

"My god, Darcy."

A few students had turned their heads in a mixture of amusement, bewilderment, and, well, silent questions of, _What are you two talking about?_ Loki waved them off with a tired motion of his hand.

He and Darcy had begun making their way down the freshman hall, towards the science wing and Mr. Banner's classroom. This part of the school was still empty, considering that really, the only person who liked hanging out in the science wing was Tony. That, and it wasn't seven thirty yet, which meant they had about five minutes before the buses started unloading and the _real_ rush began.

As Darcy idly chattered on, sometimes tossing in jokes which Loki failed to find humorous, he ran over the possible things he could say to a teacher whose back he had injured.

"Hi, Mr. Banner, remember me? I'm the one who sent you to the hospital..."

(Well, of course he would, wouldn't he? You almost fucking _broke_ his back, Loki.)

He was pretty sure his science teacher hadn't been too fond of him before, and Loki could only imagine how he felt about him _now._

"But hey," Darcy was still saying, "the prank wasn't all that bad, right? I mean, if it hadn't happened, you would have never met your boyfriend!"

Loki did not dare dignify that with a response.

Which proved to be a good choice; they turned a corner, and Loki walked into the chest of one Thor Odinson.

He stumbled, of course, but then there was a hand on his shoulder that caught him, as if Thor already knew that was going to happen.

"Good morning," Loki said automatically, and he felt obligated to tack on: "Mr. Odinson."

Thor gave him this funny sort of look, and Loki would have glowered back in return if he didn't suddenly find himself being tugged forward into a hug - or, well, half of one. Loki was stiff in his arms and didn't make any move to reciprocate.

He felt lips brush against his forehead, a kiss but not _quite_.

Instinctively, he twisted his head around for anyone that might have happened to come upon the hallway, but it was just him, his English teacher, and Darcy.

Oh, right. Darcy.

She looked like her cheeks were going to split, with the way she was grinning.

As if he had just become aware of her too, Thor abruptly released Loki.

"Bring your textbook after school," his teacher-and-step-brother told him.

Loki was _not_ going to whine. "More Shakespeare?" he asked, and okay, he might have sounded a little whiny there. Could you blame him? That textbook might as well have been an armful of bricks.

And then he realized something: Thor still wanted him to come after school? _Well, of course,_ Loki thought snidely. _No one can assume anything incestuous from a teacher helping his student out, right? _Almost immediately, he felt guilty for that.

Was it Thor's fault that he happened to land a job at the school Loki went to? Was it Thor's fault that his father met Loki's mother? Was it Thor's fault that he was born too early, and Loki was born too late?

_No,_ Loki answered himself. _So stop thinking like that._

"No." Thor's eyes crinkled. He was smiling. "I think you'll like it."

"I thought the same about Romeo and Juliet."

"You could be wrong this time."

"I guess."

"Fantastic." A hand clamped down on his shoulder, squeezed. Loki tried his hardest to appear unaffected. "I'll see you after school, then."

"Will do."

**. . .**

"Faster, ladies!"

Such were the ever_ encouraging_ words of Miss Hill. Such were also the words that Loki never thought he'd actually hear outside of those typical-high-school-setting-movies with the unnecessarily harsh gym teachers.

Loki felt his hand nudge the side of the pool, and he pushed himself upward, breaking the water's surface.

"That was weak," someone crowed above him, and when he blinked the water out of his eyes, Loki saw his best friend sitting on the bleachers.

(It was Darcy's time of the month, you see, and she didn't like wearing tampons.)

"At least I'm actually in the water," he shot back.

"Do you want the nice, blue color of the water to be turned red?"

Sometimes it worried Loki how easily Darcy could talk about things like this.

"Laufeyson! Two more laps!"

Loki groaned - everyone else was already getting out of the pool and heading back to the changing rooms. "Have fun!" Darcy chirped, and got up to follow the other students.

Miss Hill was perched at her usual spot by the side of the diving board, watching him to make sure he actually obeyed her. Knowing better than to refuse, Loki pushed himself off the wall and set off for the extra lap.

By the time he was headed to the changing room to shower off, everyone else was either done or just finishing changing. And by the time Loki was pulling his pants back on, the last boy exited the room, leaving Loki by himself.

He ran a hand through his damp hair, smoothing back the wet strands. He tossed his towel into the hamper by the door, and then moved to his gym locker.

That's when he noticed it: His backpack's zipper was halfway undone. It looked, oddly, as if someone had touched it. Kneeling down, Loki peered inside his bag and found his books and folders in a disarray.

A strange shiver ran up his spine.

But the bell rung before he could dwell too heavily on it, and Loki shouldered his backpack and left hastily for his next class.

**. . .**

It probably wasn't a good thing, but as the week progressed, the matter was eventually pushed back in his mind. He spent his afternoons in room 202 analyzing and dissecting short stories.

When Friday came, Loki realized he had completely forgotten about a particular speech.

"I- I am not prepared, Mr. Odinson," he admitted, speaking more to his desk than Thor.

He could feel eyes on him; he figured they were all taking some form of delight in seeing the perfect Loki Laufeyson do something wrong for once.

There was a sigh. "Very well, Loki. See me after class, and we'll discuss this."

**. . .**

"I honestly have most of it done! I just have my notes at home."

Thankfully, Loki had been gifted with the great ability to lie. He thought he ought to feel guilty for lying to Thor, of all people, but it was a harmless one, right?

"It was supposed to be an easy grade," Thor admonished, gaze unusually serious. "Now how am I supposed to know that you understood the lesson?"

He had been acting strange all week. And by strange, it was meant as in, every time they were by themselves, Thor became rather affectionate (although nothing that went too far - not counting that time in the janitor's closet). That was despite what he had told Loki over the weekend.

And whenever Loki had shot him a questioning look, confused about...well, _a lot of things_, Thor always seemed to either be: a)unaware of what Loki meant, or b)pretending to be unaware of what Loki meant.

It was almost unfair, how much those small, meaningless little gestures affected Loki so much.

He tapped his fingers, trying to decide how to go about this. "Literary persuasion, was it?"

The classroom was empty save for the two of them, a scenario that was getting increasingly familiar to Loki.

"Yes."

Loki rose from his seat and approached Thor's desk, speaking thoughtfully. "Well, all right, then. I'll persuade you that I really didn't mean to forget about this speech." He licked his lips, and then spoke again in a lighter, guileless voice: "Mr. Odinson, I need to speak with you."

The sound of pen scratching against paper stopped, and Thor looked up, varying degrees of amusement and distrust in his expression. "What is it, Loki?" Apparently, he had decided to humor his student.

Loki braced both hands on the desk and leaned forward intently. "I wanted to speak with you about that speech."

"Ah. You mean the one that you were supposed to present today?"

Oh, _well then._ Pleased that Thor was playing along, Loki nodded and even bit his lip for the sake of theatricality. "Truth be told, I've always been nervous about public speaking, and in all of my anxiety, I wasn't able to finish it."

Thor's eyes gleamed. "This is not a speech, Loki," he said mildly.

Loki rolled his eyes, briefly breaking character, but it wasn't long before he had assumed his role again. Who said speeches had to be informative? "No, of course not, Mr. Odinson," he said, feigning puzzlement. "This is me, trying to find out if there is possibly a way I can make up for those lost points."

"Why don't you just go on Monday?"

"Why don't I propose an idea that would be much more _enjoyable_ for the both of us?" The front of the desk was uncovered, and Loki easily dropped to his knees and crawled underneath. He settled himself between Thor's thighs. His teacher had pulled away from the desk enough that Loki could see his face when he peered up.

"Loki," Thor began warningly. His eyes flickered to the side, and Loki knew he was staring at the door. It was closed, of course, but Loki could understand his worry.

"We'll have to be quiet then, won't we, Mr. Odinson?" he murmured, a devilish smile curving his lips. He ran his fingers along the seam of Thor's pants, taking note of the hardening flesh covered by the fabric. "Besides, I think you like this."

"Anyone would," Thor replied, still sounding a little hesitant, "if they had you sitting between their legs."

"That's the spirit," Loki said jovially. He undid the button and, in one smooth motion, unzipped the zipper and pulled the pants down low enough for him to reach inside and feel his teacher's hard cock.

He felt Thor's hand on the side of his head, and he waited to be pushed away. When Thor didn't, Loki glanced inquisitively up at him.

Thor's eyes told him everything he needed to know: He had missed Loki just as much.

The hand on his head tightened. Loki purred and leaned into the touch while his fingers massaged the outline of Thor's cock. "You're already so hard for me," he murmured, reaching deftly past the waistband of Thor's underwear and pulling out his erection. "Do you like this, Mr. Odinson? Seeing your students working so hard for a good grade in your class?"

"Not my students, only you." Fingers threaded through his hair. "And seeing that you aren't doing this for a good grade, but because you want this." Those fingers tugged. "Don't you?"

"Oh, yes." Loki wrapped his fingers around the throbbing length and pumped it once, twice. His hand moved leisurely, almost teasingly. "I have wanted this for a long time."

"Then get to it." Thor actually _smiled._ "I have tests to grade."

That was enough to get Loki moving. He leaned forward to lick up the underside, stopping to lap at the head coquettishly. He remembered the first time he had done this, and he was determined to do better.

Loki braced himself before taking Thor's arousal into his mouth, feeling inch after inch of the thick cock sliding past his lips until he could take no more. His fingers massaged what couldn't fit, gently squeezing.

"That's it," Thor murmured above him. A second hand appeared on the other side of Loki's head, holding onto thin strands of black hair. Loki stayed compliant and let Thor control the pace, his hands on either side of Loki's head and pulling the younger man back and forth, and he watched his own cock move in and out of that pretty little mouth.

Loki closed his eyes and concentrated on not choking. The pace was slow at first, only to increase gradually as the pleasure built up within Thor and spurred him on to use Loki in earnest.

"I'm beginning to think you like this far more than you should..." Thor said lowly, rubbing Loki's cheek with a thumb as he moved his head back and forth. "God, you really are perfect like this." Loki didn't need to see his face to know that he was close already.

If he could, Loki would have smiled.

"That's enough." Thor's voice sounded wrecked. The hands disappeared from his hair.

Loki sat back on his legs, still stroking Thor's cock with one hand. "Why?" he whined softly, and by this point, he no longer cared for staying in character. This was him, these were his own words. This was what he wanted: "I _want_ you, Thor."

"Not here. I- I want you to be comfortable when we do this." Thor spoke softly, and Loki could sense every ounce of good intention he had.

But there was still the present situation at hand - quite literally.

"On the bed, on the wall, on the floor." Loki ran the flat of his tongue up the shaft again. "Comfort be damned. As long as it's with you, I can care less where it happens." He paused, grinning. "It would be rather memorable on a desk, wouldn't you say?" His eyes gleamed deviously.

Thor suddenly rolled his chair back, his cock slipping from Loki's lips.

Loki's eyes opened, staring in mild disappointment. That wasn't the case for long. "Come here," Thor ordered, and Loki was more than happy to comply.

He found himself being tugged back on his feet, abruptly spun around, and then pressed against the edge of the desk. Loki hummed contentedly, bracing his hands on the wooden surface.

"So this is what you want," Thor said huskily into his neck. He pulled Loki's shirt over his head, tossing it somewhere to the side. Loki shivered as he next felt Thor's hands working to undo the front of his pants. Within seconds, they were pooled down at his ankles, followed by his underwear. "You want to be fucked on my desk."

Oh, how that voice did _wonders_.

"Make me remember it." Loki pushed back against him, moaning when he felt Thor's cock rubbing against the crease of his ass. "Make sure that every time I walk into this classroom, I remember the way you took me for the first time."

"Are you sure?" Thor murmured into his ear, voice thick with lust and need. He pressed three fingers to Loki's lips. "I don't have any proper lube, and this will hurt."

"Then make sure I feel good." With that, Loki took the fingers into his mouth. He ran his tongue along the digits, swirling around the fingers much like he had done to Thor's cock just minutes ago.

After he deemed them coated enough, Thor pulled his fingers out of his mouth and stepped back to spread Loki's ass, positioning a finger against the puckered hole. "Are you sure?" he asked one last time.

"Positive," Loki answered one last time, and he rocked his hips back and allowed the finger to slip inside.

"So eager." Thor chuckled, pressing a kiss against his shoulder. He worked his finger slowly, carefully, taking his time before adding a second one. "Does it hurt?" He scissored them, making sure to stretch Loki as best as he could.

"Only feel a little strange."

By the time Thor was working three fingers inside him, Loki had bent forward, supporting himself on his forearms. He pushed back with every thrust of Thor's hand, allowing his fingers to penetrate even deeper. There was pain, as Thor had warned him, but it was bearable. Loki grit his teeth and bit into his knuckles to prevent himself from being too loud.

Then the fingers were pulled out, replaced by something much bigger being pressed against his hole. "Ready?" Thor placed his hand on Loki's waist, rubbing soothing circles into the soft skin.

Loki nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"Remember, Loki," Thor whispered, mirroring Loki's earlier words, "we have to be quiet, don't we?" And then, with one rough push, he had buried his cock to the hilt inside Loki.

A cry of surprise left Loki's lips, and he clasped his own hand over his mouth to muffled it. Pain surged up his spine, making his eyes water, and he held onto Thor's arm tightly.

"God, you're so _tight_," he Thor hissed into his neck.

"Or maybe you're just too big," Loki uttered, breathless from how _full_ he felt, filled to the brim. It burned, it hurt, but it was a good kind of pain - one that, eventually, made Loki want more.

Thor stayed completely motionless behind him until Loki said, voice barely above a whisper, "Move."

"We don't have to move so fast, Loki." Thor ran his hands down Loki's bare shoulders, back, finally stopping at his hips. The sight of his cock inside Loki aroused him to no end.

"Please, Thor," Loki said hoarsely, "take me."

Thor, not wanting to displease him, pulled his hips back, drawing his cock out almost completely - and then slammed back in. He heard Loki inhale sharply, whether in pleasure or pain Thor wasn't sure, and then break out into small gasps and moans as Thor began to truly fuck him.

"Mmm, oh, Thor," Loki cried out as he was rocked back and forth over the desk, his body at the mercy of Thor.

The older man thrust at an even pace, sweat beginning to bead on his skin. Loki was impossibly tight around him, and he felt so _good_. Thor knew he wouldn't be lasting long this time.

"I love you, Loki," he found himself muttering, fingers tightening around those sharp hips. His hand snaked around to the front of Loki's legs and found the boy's cock, stroking it in time with his thrusts. In his arms, Loki's body was alive and thrumming with pleasure.

He suddenly stepped back, his cock slipping entirely out of Loki's hole. Still bent over the desk, Loki glanced back at him with a whine.

"I want to see your face," Thor said gently, laying Loki on his back this time. He spread the smaller man's legs and slung them over his shoulder, slipping back inside with one fluid thrust.

Loki moaned at being filled so quickly.

Thor resumed his thrusts as if he'd never stopped, pounding in and out of Loki's hole with no hesitation. "Next time," he promised into Loki's collarbone, "will be at my house, in a bed - where we don't have to worry about being found out." He could feel it, the coil in his stomach, getting tighter as he neared release. This spurred him to thrust harder, seeking a friction that was there but not nearly enough. "And then I can take you as many times as you want, and you can scream my name as loud as you want."

Loki's lips parted, as if he were about to say something, but his breath hitched at a particularly hard thrust, the head of Thor's cock brushing against the one spot inside him again.

Seeing Loki like this, spread out underneath him with cheeks flushed and eyes glazed in pleasure, affected Thor far more than it should have. A sudden impulse, he bent down to kiss Loki, bruising and gentle at the same time. "I love you, Loki," he said into the kiss.

Then he took Loki's erection into his hand, stroking it to the same rhythm of his relentless thrusts. "Come for me," he said encouragingly, running his thumb over the slit. "Come on, Loki."

"I- I can't h-" Loki threw his head back, eyes screwing shut as pleasure threatened to overwhelm him. "Oh, oh, _yes_, Thor, I'm gonna come, I'm gonna-"

His orgasm overtook him in bright white haze.

**. . .**

Sometime afterward, as he slumped back against Thor's chest and Thor's arms wrapped loosely around him, the older of the two spoke up, "You're going to have to take the test, you know." His voice was still a little rough.

"Oh, was that not good enough of a speech for you?" Loki teased, pecking him on the lips.

"That really isn't what literary persuasion is."

And Loki, for the life of him, couldn't repress a giggle. "I know."

"I missed you, you know." Thor traced ambiguous patterns into Loki's skin. "I thought I could last at least a day without seeing you, but I was wrong on that one."

Loki quirked a little smile. "That makes two of us."

Silence enveloped them, and Loki was more than happy to bask in the sweet, hazy afterglow.

"Come over to my house this weekend?" Thor said into his shoulder.

"I'd love to."

* * *

a/n: originally there was another small bit at the end of this chapter, but I really didn't want to leave this one at a cliffhanger. ENJOY THE PEACE WHILE IT LASTS- /shot dead/  
That aside, I really am sorry for taking this long. My muse got a little lost on this one for a while, but it's back now!

If you're still sticking around, thank you for your patience~ ; v;


	19. xix: And Then There Were None

a/n: there's just some set-up for the ending here.  
also, I'm guesstimating around 4-5 chapters left for this fic? The number's not definite yet, but we are drawing to an end soon. ; o ;

* * *

xix. And Then There Were None

"I can explain."

Loki's head snapped up, his eyes bright. He silently willed Thor to turn to the side, to look at him, to somehow understand that Loki really needed him to keep quiet right now, he would think of something, he would get them out of this.

"For both of your sakes, you better," principal Fury said.

On the desk were several photos, all of which depicted Thor and Loki in various compromising situations.

But we probably shouldn't skip that far ahead.

**. . .**

Thor had just put the roasting pan into the oven when the doorbell rang. He barely heard it over the radio at first, which was filling the room with the voice of a man crooning a love song: _don't wanna close my eyes, don't wanna fall asleep 'cause I miss you, baby, and I don't wanna miss a thing-_

Yes, he probably would have missed it, if not for Balder suddenly perking up from underneath the counter, yipping enthusiastically as he scrambled for the door. Thor wiped his hands before going to answer.

"Hey, big brother," said Loki as soon as Thor opened the door and let him in. The younger was wearing a faded blue shirt and loose khakis, texting away with one hand and taking a bite from a sandwich with the other. He stepped inside the house, and Thor watched him all the while with an amused smile. He didn't think he'd ever seen Loki look so much like...well, like an actual _teenager_ before.

"Sorry," Loki was saying. "Was that too much?" He pocketed his phone and reached down to pat Balder's head. The dog's tail thumped faintly against the floor.

Thor closed the door after him and, out of habit, glanced outside the window for anyone who might've seen. "I wouldn't get too comfortable with saying that. Nothing's set in stone yet, right?"

He thought he saw this strange look pass over Loki's face, but it was gone in the next second and Thor had to bite back any questions. "Are you cooking something?" Loki was peering into the kitchen.

"Chicken. Is that okay?"

Loki licked his lips, and no, Thor wasn't staring. "Fine with me," he said easily, turning to Balder again. This time he knelt down to the golden retriever's level and rubbed him behind the neck. Balder barked, seemingly content, and licked a wet stripe up Loki's cheek.

"I'll just give you two some privacy, then," Thor said with an exaggerated pointedness, and Loki only laughed after him as he walked past. Thor hesitated before asking his next question, remembering the brief expression he'd seen on Loki's face just moments ago. "Does your mother know you're with me?"

"Well, she doesn't know I'm _with_ you..."

"You know what I meant."

Loki chuckled. He straightened back up to his feet, and Balder scampered away, apparently having found something more interesting. "No, she doesn't. As far as she's concerned, I'm at Tony's house."

It took a few seconds until Thor was able to match the name with a face. "Why did you say him?" he asked, jealousy not at all creeping into his tone. "I thought Darcy was your best friend?" He glanced into the kitchen as if to hide it. He couldn't move over there - the chicken wasn't finished yet - so he contented himself with leaning against the wall and studying a spot on the floor.

"Mother says I hang out with too many girls." Loki craned his head to look up at Thor, seemed to identify his expression immediately, and grinned. "Why? Do you have a problem with Tony?" He popped the last bit of sandwich in his mouth and then clapped the crumbs off his hands, not once taking his eyes off Thor.

In response, Thor grunted.

"Please, Thor, you're not a cave man," his student chided. Thor eyed him warily as he took a step closer. "Did he happen to screw with your chair and ended up sending you to the hospital, too?"

"You're with him a lot."

"Are you going to limit my already limited social life?"

"I don't think one can limit something that doesn't exist."

"Oh, okay. Unnecessarily harsh." Loki poked him in the chest, ignoring the "Okay, okay, I'm sorry" that came from the older man. "I don't like him that way, and he doesn't like me that way. I have a boyfriend, and he has a boyfriend. If one day he and I ended up living together, and he ate all the pudding in the fridge, there would be a bloodbath. On the other hand, if _you_ were the one who ate all the pudding, I'd probably just let you off with making you sleep on the couch."

"Where do you get these scenarios?" Thor queried with genuine curiosity and some amusement. He took advantage of their position to grab Loki's hand and pull him close. His other hand slipped lazily down Loki's waist, settling on his hip.

"I think of things," Loki replied. "Also, I forgot to add that I let _you_ fuck me on a desk, not him." A smile lit up his face, and he leaned up to peck Thor quickly on the lips. "So you're worrying about nothing."

Thor was temporarily caught off-guard at how easily Loki recapitulated their first time. At the same time, it sent a strangely pleasant sensation down his spine.

"Oh?" Loki continued, pressing up into him further. "Did I say something right?" Suddenly, his hands were on Thor's belt. He wasn't making any move to undo it - his fingers simply stayed there, frustratingly still.

"If that's the only way you can describe our first time," Thor began, his hands sliding down (and lingering over) Loki's ass to cup the back of his thighs, "then maybe I didn't make a good enough impression."

"Believe me," the sentence was punctuated by a small intake of breath as Loki was hoisted up, "you made a good enough impression." His hands flew up to Thor's shoulders, clutching on for dear life. The world spun as Thor turned the tables and all but pushed him against the wall. "But against the wall would be pretty memorable, too," the dark-haired teen managed to get out, and then another set of lips was on his. The kiss was unexpected and fervent - Loki's fingers curled into the strands of Thor's hair and pulled him closer for more.

His legs were locked around Thor's waist, and when the larger man rocked forward, Loki welcomed the friction with a toss of his head and a moan.

Thor didn't hesitate to start kissing along the smooth expanse of skin. At hearing the moan, he chuckled. "Is this what you came to my house for?"

"Possibly." Loki pushed his hips forward into Thor's, eyes fluttering. "Mmm, that feels nice."

Thor was about to show him what _else_ could feel nice, and who knew, things probably would have escalated - but then the fire alarm went off. And _then_ Thor noticed the distinct odor of something burning.

"Ah, shit." He set Loki down carefully before dashing to the kitchen, turning the oven off. Without thinking, he pulled it open and immediately got a billow of smoke to the face. Thor coughed, waving a hand frantically and trying to dispel the smoke.

The alarm wasn't blaming any more, thank god. Loki had hopped up on a stool and turned it off. "No chicken?" the younger asked with a small pout, clambering back down.

"No chicken." Thor dared to look down at the pan. What once used to be an edible food item was now a charred...thing. "Pizza?" he said hopefully, starting towards the phone.

"And bread sticks," Loki added.

"Okay." Thor grabbed the phone and began rifling through the drawers. He was pretty sure he had the pizza place's number written down somewhere...

A sharp ring cut through the air, and Thor looked to the phone in his hand, but the screen displayed no incoming calls.

"Sorry, that's mine," he heard Loki say. He answered within two more rings. "Hello? Mom?"

Thor froze. He felt like if he moved, Loki's mother would somehow figure out that her son was actually at his English teacher's house rather than a friend's. Loki looked just as nervous, previously half-lidded eyes now wide and alert.

"Oh, did I?" Loki laughed then, and Thor didn't think he'd ever felt so relieved before. Loki was visibly less tense now, although the smile on his face was still somewhat anxious. "No, no, it's fine, Tony has the notes too. But thanks, Mom." A pause. "Love you too. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Everything okay?" Thor asked as soon as Loki put the phone away.

Loki gave a short, breathless laugh, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, apparently I forgot my notes back at home, apparently. It's fine."

"Good." Closing the distance between them, Thor enveloped Loki in a hug, pressing a kiss to the side of his head.

"Everything's all right, Thor," he heard Loki say into his shirt, but he only hugged the boy tighter. When he finally pulled away (or, rather, allowed Loki to step back) he noticed something odd in Loki's expression.

"What is it?" Concern was back almost immediately.

(He'd never _cared_ so much about someone before. But then again, he'd never met anyone like Loki before. It was just a pity that he happened to be born too early and as someone who became a teacher, and that Loki was born too late and as someone who happened to be put in one of his classes.)

Loki shook his head. "Nothing. Are you going to order the pizza?"

**. . .**

It was brought up again when Loki was getting ready to leave. The boy stopped by the door and turned around.

"I don't..." Loki hesitated, and he appeared to be choosing his words carefully. His gaze shifted to the floor, up to meet Thor's eyes, then down again. "I don't always want to be doing this." He added, "Not being with you! Not that. I mean, I actually want to introduce you to my mother as, you know, my _boyfriend_. Not my teacher, not my stepbrother."

Thor watched him. There were many, many things he wanted to say at that moment, most of them assurances and promises, but Loki wasn't finished.

"Do you think that's possible?" Green eyes were turned on him. "That my mom and your dad would...take _us_ well?"

Thor said honestly: "I don't know."

"I want to tell them," Loki said, and Thor wasn't sure if he sounded decisive or unsure or some combination of both. "Before the wedding - because it'll be too late by then, right? We'll tell them the truth: that we had already met before they started seeing each other, and so it isn't our fault. Right?"

Thor put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing. "We'll tell them eventually." He hastened to add: "We'll figure something out, okay? We can't just outright tell them - you're still my student and I'm still your teacher. But I promise you, Loki, we will do it."

"Before the wedding," said Loki, grip tightening.

And what could Thor do but assent? "Before the wedding."

**. . .**

On Tuesday, in the middle of swimming, Loki was pulled aside by Miss Hill. Darcy pushed her wet hair from her face, squinting and trying to make out what they were saying. She saw Miss Hill's lips moving, and then Loki going rigid. He gave a clipped nod, and Darcy watched as he hurried out of the pool.

"Loki?" she called after him, but he didn't even so much as look back.

Casting it aside as nothing serious, she returned to practicing.

Some time later, Miss Hill blew the whistle, motioning to the diving boards. By then, Loki still hadn't returned, and Darcy got out along with everyone else, casting faintly worried glances at the exit. Everyone separated into three separate lines, and the one Darcy was in happened to be close to the changing rooms.

The student in the front jumped off, and the line progressed. Darcy moved forward about three steps and subsequently missed the crash that came from the boys' changing room.

**. . .**

_"Go change, Mr. Laufeyson. Then we'll talk."  
_

The principal's words replayed over and over in Loki's mind.

_(Then we'll talk.)_

Everything had happened far too quickly. To anyone who might have been following his story, it was probably a clear answer: They had gotten caught. But it felt too surreal to Loki - wasn't it just two days ago that he and Thor were talking about finally telling their parents? The future had looked _plausible_, and now-

_Who? What did they have to gain by__ doing this?_ And, most importantly: _Why?_

He had stormed into the changing room loudly, the door banging shut loudly. It echoed in the empty room, but Loki paid it no mind. He yanked open his locker and, through his jumbled strings of thought, noticed immediately: his backpack was half opened.

_(Then we'll)_

Someone had been going through his things again.

_(talk.)_

And a wild idea formed: Maybe they were still here. They wouldn't have been so careless as to leave his backpack open like that, so they were obviously under pressure. From what?

_From hearing me coming back._

"I know you're here, you bastard!" Loki dropped his bag and took a step towards the middle of the room, glaring around him. His fists were clenched tightly at his side, fingers occasionally twitching from the urge to _hurt._

It was unfair. When things were finally starting to be sorted out, why did this have to happen now?

He received no reply, of course. There was a low growl, and Loki barely registered that it came from the back of his own throat. He moved to the other half of the changing room, to the bathroom stalls. "At least come out and face me!"

Loki shoved the first stall open - it was empty. He had moved to the second one when he noticed that the fifth wasn't ajar: the only one closed in the whole row. He glanced down, found no feet, but he knew that someone could easily lift themselves up on the seat.

He tried to push the door open. It didn't budge. "I know you're there," he hissed, jamming his shoulder against the door. It hurt to put that much pressure on his bare shoulder, but Loki pushed harder. "I can look over the stall," he threatened. When the door still did not open, he took a step back. "Or I'll climb under. I swear to god, I'll climb under and pull you the fuck out myself if you don't open this f-"

There was the tell tale sound of a latch being undone. The stall swung open.

Loki froze, the sight sending a million more questions running through his head and adding even more confusion, hurt, _anger_ into the pit of his stomach, because standing right there was-

"-_Tony_?"


	20. xx: Sleeping Parabolas

a/n: i'm really sorry for making you wait this long, guys  
real life just ugh

on the bright side, plot. more plot. if you're mega confused by the end of this chapter, sshhh, you're supposed to be. it will all be cleared up soon, yes? ;A;

postscript; it was a little fun to see how quick you guys were to vilify poor Tony, eheh. =3=

* * *

xx. Sleeping Parabolas

Tony Stark was many different sorts of attributes, positive and negative (though he liked to believe he had more of the former than the latter), but his favorites were his wit and sarcasm. His good looks were a plus, and all three put together meant all he had to do was smile and poof, there went away the detention, but really, it was his mouth.

So, when he found himself facing one angry (read:_ furious_) Loki, it was only natural that he turned to his quick tongue to help him get out of this mess.

Instead of saying something witty and clever, his mouth did this strange opening-and-closing-sort-of-thing that _kind of_ made him resemble the goldfish he had at home.

_Well_, the genius prodigy sighed silently, _performance issues, what can you do?_

He didn't have the opportunity to lament any more after that, because then Loki had him by the scruff of his shirt and was yanking him out of the stall with a surprising amount of force. "Hey there, princess," Tony commented, trying for that shit-eating grin that seemed to work a lot.

Trust the first thing to come out of Tony's mouth to be "_Hey there,_ _princess._"

"Before you start throwing me around-" Tony began, and, Loki did just that. The world spun, and then Tony's back rammed into something hard and positively vicious - also known as the sink. Something like, "Oh Jesus _fuck-_" escaped his mouth as he grappled for a handhold, lest should he fall.

"I trusted you!" he heard. That was a clean version of it, at least; Loki could apparently get very liberal with profanity.

"I can explain," he think he mumbled, but the world was this whirling vortex of tile and chlorine and it was really hard to talk, okay.

Two hands grabbed his shoulders, and Tony braced himself, expecting to be thrown again. Instead, there was a one, two, three second pause - and then the hands slipped away.

When he dared to peel his eyes open again, he was exposed to a sight that made his stomach drop with guilt.

Loki had moved away - to Tony's relief and wariness - and the younger boy's shoulders were hunched. Tony could see the way his jaw was set tensely, and how his eyes were reddening. He was so used to the kid being so proud, witty and...well, being _Loki_. He guessed he forgot that even Loki was human.

"I can explain," Tony thus repeated.

Loki's glare, despite the rim of red around his eyes, was scathing.

**. . .**

He really could.

Tony had not been directly involved, not at first. He was not the mastermind behind the whole thing. He had no vendetta against Loki or their English teacher. But he had also been targeted, and then coerced into complying.

His officially got involved when Peter lost his camera, and since he had such compassion for his classmates, he offered to help look for it. (Plus, Steve was really fond of the kid, so Tony thought it couldn't hurt.) Peter explicitly told him that he had already searched the most likely places; it was a surprise to find the rather expensive camera perched innocuously next to one of the computers.

It was plugged in, but the computer wasn't even on.

Tony lifted the sleek black device and inspected it, then unplugged it from the USB port. He thought nothing of it - Peter was a scatterbrain sometimes, and he probably just forgot about it.

Without even thinking, he turned it on and opened up the gallery. ("Hey, I spent all this time looking for it, so I should at least be able to see these, right?")

Most of its contents were pictures of some girl - Gwen, Tony thought her name was. Judging by how many images consisted of her back or her in some position that was _not_ facing Peter, Tony figured there was some pining going on here. There was even one with-

_-"Do I really need to hear this, Stark?" Loki hissed. "Get on with it!"_-

To recapitulate: Most of them were pictures of Gwen, and Tony was going to turn off the camera when he landed on a picture that _wasn't_.

This one was not as clear as the others, a little blurry and a little crooked, which was strange. Whenever Peter took a picture, he simply held his camera up and clicked away. There was this slightly-freaky tendency for his pictures to come out good even without tact.

The first one was simply a close up of someone's front door. Tony was beginning to think that Peter was moving up to a whole new level of creepy, until he flicked the next button.

Here was when things started to get _really _strange; it was Thor Odinson, looking absolutely unaware. It must have been his house, then, Tony assumed. And maybe Peter had a thing for their English teacher, too.

In the next one, it looked like Thor had opened the door wider. Behind him, Tony could see a staircase and, when he squinted, the bottom half of someone that was descending.

The third one had a second, familiar face. Apparently that bottom half had belonged to Loki; in this one, he was standing behind Thor. He was half obscured, but one could clearly tell that they had just woken up. The pictures seemed like they had been taken in the morning too, which meant...

That was when someone joined Tony inside the photography room. "I'm no photographer, but I think those are clear enough, do you?"

Every nerve in his body was screaming at him to turn around. But Tony was unable to tear his eyes away from the photograph. Already, a hundred scenarios were running through his mind - and they weren't all necessarily positive. "Depends," he chose his words carefully, "what are you trying to make clear?"

"Maybe it isn't obvious enough, then, if even Tony Stark can't tell."

-_"Who was it?" Loki was clutching Tony's arm now. He was still visibly tense, but moreso from anxiety and anxiety than anger. This impaled a stake of guilt into Tony Stark's heart, because he knew that he was part of the reason why Loki looked on the verge of a breakdown._

_"I'm getting there," he replied tersely.-  
_

He turned. It was a girl, as he'd figured much from her voice, and she stood a solid four-or-so inches taller than him (though most of that height came from her rather painful looking heels). Her blond hair fell in waves over her shoulders; her outfit resembled the standard teacher's, except greener and...with more cleavage.

To be honest, she looked like the type that Tony would have dated except: Steve was already a pretty damn good boyfriend, and Tony was pretty sure she worked somewhere in the building.

"Uh," Tony began brilliantly, "have I had you for class?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Tenth grade. Chemistry. Teacher assistant, but with the dimwit who runs that class, I might as well be the teacher." She huffed, crossing her arms and cocking her hips. Tony thought she looked like an overgrown high schooler, one of those girls who wore their cheerleading uniforms to an abnormal amount and twirled their hair and batted their eyelashes when they spoke.

Her eyes flickered to the camera. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you," she said silkily. "Keep on looking - you're bound to find one you'll like."

Tony took a step back, the camera pressed protectively to his chest. _There's more?_ "What the fuck are these?"

(Could teacher assistants give out detention slips?)

"Language," she said off-handedly. "But _these_ are the fruits of months' worth of labor."

"Months?" Tony echoed. "You've been stalking my English teacher for a multitude of weeks?"

"I like to call it devotion," she corrected pleasantly.

"Devotion to _what_?"

Her green eyes flashed. "I've heard about you, Stark. You're smart enough to figure this out yourself, aren't you? What Thor Odinson is doing is _wrong_. This is devotion to exploiting that fact."

"They're both of age," he countered heatedly, "and they're both consenting and _willing_ parties."

"That does not change the fact that he is a teacher, and Loki is his student. Why are you so quick to come to his defense, Stark? Do you really truly care, or-" Mirth crept into her tone. "-perhaps you can relate to his situation?"

To his credit, Tony didn't miss a beat in replying. "Of course I care, the kid's my friend."

There were voices outside of the classroom, and they both froze. Obviously, the woman wasn't supposed to be here, either. Tony's eyes darted between her and the door, wondering if he could trust his legs to run as fast his mouth tended to. But the voices eventually faded off, and the silence was broken.

"And is this the part where you threaten me, Mr. Stark?"

"No, this is the part where I tell you you've lost, because now I have your camera." Tony raised said device up. "You know how long Peter's been looking for this thing?"

"Oh, that?" She waved her hand carelessly. "I've already printed out the best ones." Tony watched as she pulled out several photographs from her bag and held them up. The photo paper gleamed in the light.

_-"How many?" Loki's voice had died down to a croak. "How many copies did she make, Stark?"-_

"I have enough," she answered stiffly when Tony asked.

"It won't work." For some reason, the words sounded strange coming out of his mouth. Yet he spoke confidently. "Your grand prize will just be a restraining order. Why are you so hellbent on doing this, anyway? Hell hath no fury like a scorned woman?"

She actually seemed to falter. "You'll see," she said, calmer. "In time."

Something buzzed, and Tony watched wordlessly as she pulled out a phone from her bag and answered the call. There was a muffled voice from the other line, and then the woman barked, "Can't you do _anything_ right?"

She flipped the phone shut as quickly as she had opened it, and then turned her glowering stare to Tony. "The camera," she said, stretching out a hand.

Tony's thumb hit a latch, and he prayed that she didn't hear the click. "And if I don't hand it over?"

She shrugged. "Like I said, I've already printed out the best ones, but I will be needing that for more copies. If I have not given you enough incentive already, then you should know that you and your boyfriend aren't the most discreet human beings."

Tony met her gaze evenly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Private property, the sign read," she mused. "Yet the gates weren't so much as locked. Hand the camera over, or you and Rogers will get dragged down, too."

"There are security cameras."

"By the time you actually find a shred of evidence, it will be too late."

(Maybe it was just Tony being desperate, but she sounded hesitant, for a second. He would have to remember to look through the tapes later.)

But for the meantime, he let her take the camera.

_-"What?" Loki demanded. "Why on earth would you give her the camera?"-_

It wasn't until she left the classroom that Tony opened his palm and stared contemplatively down at the memory card, the gears in his mind already working.

**. . .**

"I thought I could think up of something faster, before she used the pictures."

"And you never thought to tell me?"

Tony cringed at the bitterness, barely unmasked in Loki's voice. "I was this close to figuring something out," he said helplessly. "But then she cornered me again, you know? Threatened that she would send in the pictures of me and Steve, too, if I didn't help her. So I agreed to slip the pictures into your bag-"

"You _what_?"

"She said that once Fury got the pictures, he'd probably have your stuff searched - and if one of those pictures were found with you, too, then it would be even more incriminating."

"So _you_ are the one who's been rifling through my things-"

"And today, you caught me trying to take those pictures back." Tony clasped the younger boy by the shoulders and leaned down, eyes wide in what he hoped to be an expression of sincerity. "After about a billion enhancements, the security tape was _finally_ clear enough, and I have evidence against her, Loki, _good_ evidence. I'm already talking to my dad about it-"

"But-"

"Don't worry, he thinks it's one of my ex-girlfriends stalking me." Tony bit back a wince. "Point is, I'm gonna get us out of this mess, but you have to trust me."

"Fury's already seen the pictures," Loki reminded him. He sounded uncharacteristically sullen. "And I'm pretty sure my reaction didn't help."

"Hey, hey, don't go into one of those moods now." Tony grabbed him by the cheeks and forced him to look up. Doubtful green eyes stared back at him. "You're going to go marching back into there-" he glanced down "-_clothed_, and with the all of the sass you can possibly muster, do what I'm about to tell you to do."

He paused.

"Okay, so maybe not sass, but something that will make it convincing. Do you understand? Blink once for an affirmative."

Loki blinked once - then again, a few seconds later.

"Two blinks? But I said-" Tony shook his head. "Never mind. I'm taking that for a yes. Now, listen to me, because we only have one shot at this."

He went on to explain.

(He was glad that Loki hadn't asked any further about the woman. He probably didn't need to know that Tony had found out her name, and that she was no stranger to Thor Odinson.)

(Needless to say, Tony was going to be having a little chat with someone later.)

**. . .**

Between the time that Loki had left for the changing rooms and Thor was left alone with his boss, it was not completely silent in the office. Rather, _a lot_ came up. It was nothing about the incident, mostly about Thor's past: Why he decided to become a teacher in the first place, where he worked before, oh, your father owns a company?, why aren't you working for him, then? Still, the way Fury spoke so calmly set Thor on edge.

The pictures laid on the table, out for the world to see. There were three of them: two of him and Loki at his house, and another of them stepping out of a car together.

His very first instinct had been to go after Loki, but he knew that would have made things worse. He very quickly realized that was a mistake.

When Loki did come back, Thor was ready to just lead him back out, to take him to his car and drive them somewhere preferably far away. They had been caught, right? What was left to damage by running?

Then Loki took a deep breath and said: "Thor and I are becoming stepbrothers."

Thor had to bite his lip to keep his mouth from going agape. He moved to object, but Loki shot him a look that pleaded, _Trust me._

Fury leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin. "Elaborate," he said, and it was more of a demand than a request.

So Loki did. His mother was going to be marrying Thor's father, and in a matter of months, they would become stepbrothers. Loki had been spending time over at Thor's per his mother's request - they _were_ going to be family, after all, so why shouldn't he get to know him a little better? "I'm not sure who managed to take those pictures nor why, but clearly there was a misunderstanding. By any means, you can call my mother to confirm this - actually, I'd prefer that." Loki's eyes were trained downwards the whole time he spoke; Thor wasn't sure whether he was staring at the floor or at the pictures. "I want to get this cleared up as quickly as possible. Being accused of having an affair with your teacher - and future stepbrother - is mortifying."

There was a terrifying moment of silence.

"Is this true, Thor?" Fury asked.

Thor nodded mutely. It occurred to him how easily Fury accepted the story - maybe he didn't want to the other scenario to be the real one, and was glad for something more rational, _safer_ to believe.

"I'll be making a call to your mother, Mr. Laufeyson."

The relief was short-lived.

"And, Thor, you haven't already forgotten what we talked about, right?"

Thor could feel Loki's eyes on him now. He would answer his questions later. "Of course not."

"Good." Fury gave a long suffering sigh. "Mr. Laufeyson, you have permission to go back to your classes. Thor, I reckon you have much to do."

And unfortunately, in that long list of things to do, there was no time to talk to Loki.

He and Thor left the office in silence, but as soon as the door shut behind them, the questions came. Loki was supposed to be heading off to his science class right now, and Thor's classroom was in the same direction; so Loki was confused when his teacher started to turn the other way.

"Th- Mr. Odinson?"

"Go to class, Loki."

"Are you angry at me?"

"I'll explain everything later, okay? You have my address. I want you to come over as soon as school ends, understood?"

Thor pushed away the guilt, knowing that this was for the best. He would need as much time as possible to explain several things to Loki's mother.

(And to start packing.)

**. . .**

He didn't even have the car started when there were three violent taps on his window. Thor rolled down the window and saw, to his confusion, one of Loki's friends.

"I have several things to ask you about," Tony Stark said, and he sounded breathless, like he had been running.

"You have a class to go to," Thor reminded him, slipping the key into the ignition.

"I know what went down. I know who took the pictures. I can help, if you just let me talk to you."

Thor drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. "You have five minutes before I drive away."

He heard the student take a deep breath, like he was bracing himself. "We need to talk about Amora."


End file.
